A serpent as mentor
by ary42
Summary: the first downfall of Voldemort led Dumbledore to believe he had two puppets in his hand. but if the bigger puppet scheme to take matters in his own hand and influence the life of the little puppet?
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER- I don't own the creations of JK Rowling

This is my first attempt to write a full-length fanfiction. Reviews desired.

Chapter 1

Little Whinging was a very normal place, a small village south of London. There were residential streets surrounding the town centre, which contained a few shops to cater to the resident's daily needs. The streets circling the place were lined with ordinary English houses, all streets looked the same. One street named Wisteria walk was different in the sense that it contained a children's playground. It was a picture-perfect English village, so ordinary that nobody would take a second notice at anything.

It was on the playground of Wisteria walk that something was odd. A little boy was lying on one of the empty benches of the park, crouched in a foetal position. The boy had something odd about him. He was dressed oddly, in old clothes and shoes, plus they were too large for his size. He was thin, with a mass of untidy black hair on his head and bright green eyes. His name was Harry Potter, he was a six year old child who found out crying alone gave him a sort of relive from his life.

Harry did not understand much at his age, but his cousin Dudley was the main reason to make him feel miserable. There were other children in the primary school too, but he understood that he was the most miserable, though it was not his fault. He could understand the differences by now.

He and Dudley lived with two adults. They were Dudley's "mummy and daddy" but Harry's "aunt and uncle". Harry did not have his own parents because they were dead. He had no memories of them, Aunt Petunia had told him that when he was fifteen months old, a "bad man" had broken into their house and killed them, thus Harry had to live with them. Yet, the differences did not end there.

Dudley was called by a lot of pet names, he himself was called "boy" or "freak". Dudley was fed with food, Harry had to finish other's leftovers and denied food if he did anything wrong. Anything wrong resulted in Petunia screeching at him, while Vernon would simply grab him with large hands, drag him to a cupboard and lock him there. Vernon and Petunia were blind to anything "wrong" done by Dudley.

Dudley was bought clothes, Harry had hand-me-downs. When Harry was taken for shopping, he had to carry bags and nobody ever asked him to make a choice. Dudley slept in a room with a bed, Harry in the same cupboard he was locked in, on a carpet. Dudley was presented with big toys and taken out for special treats on a few days, Harry was left behind with Mrs Figg, a cat-obsessed old lady who lived on opposite street. Dudley did nothing at home, while Harry had to help his aunt with the chores.

He had to continually hear the words "things cost money, boy" and Dudley never heard these words, though Harry was sure that Dudley cost much more money than him. Plus, he was beaten regularly by Dudley and his gang, they were much bigger than him. To top it all, Vernon had a sister named Marge, who visited them a few times and made it clear that she hated Harry.

Harry put up with all this because he was smart enough for his age and knew that street children lived a harder life. He had no memories of his parents, there were no photos of them in the house and his relatives refused to talk about them, but he himself recalled a flash of green light and flying in the air as flashbacks from his life. He at least had a roof over his head and a house was a better choice in the freezing winter, was supplied with clothes and food and went to school, learning to read and write. His marks were ignored by his uncle and aunt, but he felt better at school.

Harry had recently found out that sneaking to the park, before the other children would come in at regular hours, made him feel better. He had to return home and help his aunt, she would never bother to know where he was as long as he turned up for doing chores. He would even drowse off in the summer heat for a few minutes that happened even today.

Yet, today was different. Harry had fallen into a doze, but suddenly he had a strange sensation, as if someone was watching him. His immediate thought was Dudley and his gang, but he looked around quickly, they were not there. He, however, found out the person who was staring at him.

The person who seemed to be observing Harry had something odd around himself. Harry could immediately sense something wrong and could even pinpoint it. The park was frequented by two kinds of people, children and their parents, usually the mother. If some tramps sought refuge there, there was a clear local law that they could stay only during the night. So, this person seemed out of place.

It was a man, he seemed to be in his early thirties. The skin was pale, he had short raven-coloured hair with French-cut beard and he was clad in a loose black shirt, with baggy grey trousers and a silver wristwatch in his left wrist. The black eyes that were staring at Harry seemed like cold, long tunnels but there was a smile in the lips that tried to light up the entire face.

The man parted his lips and a smooth, silky voice came out "You are Harry Potter, right? What are you doing at this park, all alone? Hope you are not running away from your aunt's house."

Harry nodded meekly, but raised his eyebrows "How do you know my name and where I live, sir?"

The man lifted his eyebrows and spoke in an amused voice "It's a secret. I am asking you, can you take me to the nearest candy store? I don't know if there is one, I am new here."

Harry knew a candy store in the town centre, he got his own candies only when Dudley got bored with a purchased one. He glanced at the tiny watch (thrown away by Dudley) in his wrist and checked the time, still plenty of time to go back and help Petunia with tea.

He guided the man to the store, pointed the window and was about to walk away, when the man stopped him "Hey, I asked you because I wanted to buy you one. Come with me, little kid."

Inside, the sales attendant was surprised to see Harry with an unknown man, but the man simply ignored the woman and spoke to Harry "Choose any one, I will buy it for you." Harry was surprised at all this, but chose a pack of Brighton rock. The man really paid the bill, but Harry noted that the man was muttering something in a low voice and the attendant had a glazed look for a few seconds.

The man took Harry by the hand, walked him out of the shop and spoke again "Harry, let's go back to the park. You can eat it here or at home, but don't show it to anyone else, or they may ask questions."

Harry had no hesitation walking with this unknown man. He looked up at the man and smiled, saying "Thank you so much, Mr.. Mr?"

"Ah, I have not told you my name. It is, um, Mr Eileenson Prince. Call me uncle Prince."

Harry smiled again and said "Thank you, uncle Prince."

"You're welcome, Harry. Can I ask you just one thing in return of the candy? It's simple, don't tell anybody about me, understood?"

They walked back to the park, Harry already had some sweet in his mouth. Mr Prince sat down in a bench, Harry tried to sit beside him, but something happened. Prince suddenly cupped Harry's face in his hands, looked straight into the green eyes and muttered "Legilimens."

The effect on Harry was something the kid had never seen before. Everything vanished before his eyes and images began to flash through his mind like a mail train, numerous images from his own life with the Dursleys. He stood still and almost felt like fainting, when everything again came back.

He was lying on a bench in the park, with Prince sitting beside him and the candy still in his hands. He looked at the man with a puzzled expression, the man simply raised his eyebrows and spoke with a smile "What happened, kid? It's hot today, but don't fall asleep outside like this. What time is it? Your aunt wants you back at home, no?"

Harry glanced at his watch and said "Okay, I will get back in time. Are you going anywhere from here?"

"I have my own work. I promise you, you may meet me in this park later. Now, shoo! Go back."

He ruffled Harry's hair, patted his cheek and kissed the forehead, then again urged him to go.

Harry smiled again, walked out of the park and at the bend of the road, turned back to wave at Prince, but the man had vanished. He stood puzzled for a few seconds, then felt the candy still in his pocket- it was not a dream. He almost ran back home, having experienced something he has never got before.


	2. Chapter 2: Snape

DISCLAIMER- I don't own the creations of JK Rowling

A/N- is it really hard to recognize who Eileen-son Prince is? He did not tell his official name _yet._ A warning, this chapter may seem a little disturbing.

Chapter-2

Severus Snape watched Harry walk away and he himself walked away in the opposite direction, himself unable to understand what was going on in his own mind. He himself had found out where the savior of wizard Britain was, but was shocked at what he had found out. He walked further away before he found a bus stop and sat down there, deep in thought.

Finding Harry was not difficult for his Slytherin mind as he had stumbled upon a single clue. After the demise of the Lord that night, everybody wanted to know where Harry was- it included people close to James and Lily and also media persons like Rita Skeeter. Dumbledore claimed that he had placed Harry in a place where it was 'safest and best' for the boy and refused to tell anything more.

Snape himself would have thought so, but with time he grew less fond of Dumbledore, his faith in the old man lessened too. The man had saved him from a trial after the fall of Voldemort, offered him a position in Hogwarts as the replacement of about-to-retire Horace Slughorn and in return expected loyalty. It worked, but only for a few years before doubts began to creep up in Snape's mind.

His own life started with what he had felt a wrong step. After passing out of Hogwarts, he had joined the Death Eaters, almost out of peer pressure within Slytherin house. His childhood friend Lily had drifted far away by then. He himself was interested in the dark arts, the Lord seemed a path to glory.

Within months, he realized that he was caught in a trap from which there was no way out. Voldemort had assembled followers, he now began to wreak havoc across Britain. Snape's own sharp mind, coupled with his vengeful nature caught the attention of the Lord, he was pushed to the inner circle and branded with the Dark mark, he did not dare refuse. A few had tried to abandon Voldemort, what followed was a demonstration-cum-warning in front of all the other Death eaters.

He suffered genuine remorse after the shocking incidence in which Rookwood from the Department of Mysteries leaked the names of muggle-born children to the Lord and shortly after, the Death Eaters tracked down and killed almost 250 children and their parents before they even got the Hogwarts letter. If it was years earlier, would Lily have been killed similarly? Voldemort did not attack Hogwarts, but the three other smaller schools in Britain were razed to the ground by him.

Of course, he knew that the Lord was still human, not omnipotent. Otherwise, Voldemort could have simply walked to the ministry and proclaimed himself ruler. The lord, however, did not appear human to the eyes and Snape did wonder what rituals would the former had performed to change thus.

Dumbledore was the only person whom the Lord feared, because of the simple fact that he could face Voldemort in a duel and remain standing, Death eaters fared even worse. That did not change the fact that Dumbledore's assembled Order of the phoenix, despite being composed of capable people were losing members one by one, and contrary to the name, the deceased did not return to the living world.

The prophecy, though partially heard by Mulciber in the Hog's Head and relayed to the Lord finally gave Snape the courage to defect. He had went to Dumbledore, the man demanded something in return. As a result, he did remain within Death eater ranks, at a danger to himself. However, Lily was killed- she could not be saved by Dumbledore, whatever steps he had taken. Somehow, the Lord was destroyed too, but Dumbledore said that it was only a temporary relif.

Snape's dissatisfaction with Dumebledore began soon after the fall of the Lord, it grew with time.

He already knew that Dumbledore could not save his own followers, but soon learned that the man was a liar. He had told Snape that Lily's son had his mother's eyes, but told the press that the boy exactly looks like his father James, though with a scar in his forehead left by the Killing curse. Maybe it was for security reasons, but there was more to the man.

Firstly, Dumbledore could not even prosecute the captured Death eaters. Almost forty of them were caught with the dark mark, but managed to wriggle out of danger by claiming to be under spells. The rest were sent to Azkaban, though Alastor Moody played a mojor role in that.

Secondly, he disliked the old coot. He never liked the cold look in the man's eyes. Moreover, Dumbledore dressed in fine robes, had a sugar-coated way of talking and tried to show that he was sympathetic and eccentric- but it felt a mask. All of it irritated Snape.

He himself wanted to know where Harry was. Of course Dumbledore had a typical response- everything will be revealed in due time, Snape did not have the courage to use Legilimency on the headmaster. He also did not know who had assisted Dumbledore. However, he stumbled upon a clue by good luck.

It started with a drunk Hagrid. it was the summer holidays, the castle was empty of students and most of the staff, the remaining ones were left to themselves. The half-giant had drunk rather heavily one night a week ago and Dumbledore, seeing the condition had just sternly spoken "Hagrid!"

The man grunted in response and said "Sorry Professor, the young thestrals are tougher lot than baby 'arry"

Albus replied "I have full faith in you to train them up."

The first few words were a glow of light in the dark for Snape. Hagrid- how could he miss such a "big" clue that he saw every day? The picture of the destroyed house in Godric's hollow flashed in his mind.

He himself had rushed to the place that night. The lower floor of the cottage was heavily damaged- a brief but furious duel had taken place between James Potter and the Lord, the man was lying dead. After killing James, the Lord had proceeded to the upper floor where Lily had locked herself and the baby up. Then the door was burst open, Lily killed and the curse on Harry backfired, a huge hole was in the roof, the crib was empty. The Lord's damaged body was lying there too, the wand somehow missing. He himself had to carefully move to the bedroom, to find Lily dead.

Hagrid was the answer. The half-giant was a safer choice than a human to navigate through the rubble and remove Harry. Moreover, Hagrid was blindly loyal to Dumbledore, plus he would not be questioned by the media, it was also less likely that he would give an answer. The man lived on the school grounds, none of the Lord's goons or Rita Skeeter would try any smart business.

Snape knew when and how to get the fact out of Hagrid, he was a Slytherin after all.

Dumbledore had gone to Brussels on a meeting of EWC (European Warlock Confederation) that night, Snape did not want to take any chances. He then really flew to the Forbidden forest on a broomstick, to look for potion ingredients. He then walked over at Hagrid's hut, put a sleeping spell on the dog, and knocking on the door, asked for a strong drink claiming exhaustion.

Hagrid did not doubt anything and poured out some fire-whiskey for both of them. It was easier to get information out of a drunk man than a sober one, Snape acted further and slipped some potion on Hagrid's drink. The result was good- what Hagrid blurted out was enough. He had quietly obliviated Hagrid of a few moment's events, the oaf noticed nothing when drunk, then slipped out.

It was not hard to track down the address of Vernon and Petunia in Surrey, Snape knew of the Telephone Directory used by muggles. He thought that candies would be the best way to talk to the boy.

Money was not a problem. He would not exchange sickles at Gringotts, he did not want to leave any trail. A minute Fiendfyre spell on sickles would destroy the marks of the wizard bank, what remained could be sold at a muggle pawn shop for a good amount of muggle money.

He managed to meet Harry at the park, buy him some candy, though he had really wanted to take something from the kitchens. He did not ask the boy anything, he expected Legilimency would give quicker answers and it did. He found out what he wanted to and he did not like it.

In fact, it was not easy to talk to Harry, even after finding him alone. Snape did not feel like looking and talking to the boy, even not mentioning about it to anybody. He was surprised at it but realized what was happening- a magic aversion-compulsion charm was placed on the boy, most probably by the headmaster. It took a firm resolve to shake off the effect. While it would keep Harry safe, any mage spotting Harry on the road would avoid him and not talk about it, it would not stop a master of mind magic like Snape- a miscalculation by the headmaster.

Harry was his mother's eyes and nose in his father's face- no, that's not true. James had an air of arrogance around him, plus he would never wear clothes like that, or be that thin and stunted for his age. The boy was not actively abused, but the neglect was acute. He was an unpaid servant and treated like trash by his relatives and like a punching bag by his fat, spoilt cousin. Plus, the black scar on his forehead surely had some residual dark magic.

Even when he was young, he knew that Petunia hated her sister out of sibling jealousy. Placing Harry with her family make Dumbledore seem like a senile old man. He himself would have tried to make the boy as dangerous as possible to all enemies from childhood- what was the old coot thinking?

For a moment, he felt like bursting into number four with a raised wand and hex the Dursleys, then go to Dumbledore and scream at the old man-but that would be a Gryffindor response. He also felt like taking Harry away with him right now and take care of the boy- but that seemed a Hufflepuff response. He hoped that maybe Dumbledore would realize he had made a bad decision and utter his often used response- Forgive an old man's mistakes.

He would not act like that- he was a Slytherin and suspicious of Dumbledore. He did not know what really was in the man's mind, plus maybe he did not have the complete picture.

Snape rose from his seat, he still had something to do- information gathering. He walked towards number four Privet Drive. Reaching the front of the house, he could sense that there were people inside, but the street was empty of people, only a car plied now and then.

He took out his wand, pointed it at the house while holding it close to his knees and uttered an incantation. A silvery jet of light shot out from the tip towards the house, but soon changed into sparks and vanished. There was some sort of ward placed on the house, which was good news. Maybe Dumbledore placed those once and did not bother to check on the boy after that.

He had one more doubt in his mind and tried to notice the houses on the opposite street. At a house diagonal to number four, he found what he was looking for. It was an ordinary house on the row, even the two cats sitting on a window sill did not seem out of place to a muggle. But Snape was not a muggle, he knew what was a misfit- the cats were not mere cats, there was kneazle bloodline in them. He noted the name Arabella Figg- she had to be a lookout. What was she reporting?

Shadows were forming on the street. He had to think before acting, but a name had already come up in his mind- Andromeda Tonks. He spotted a large tree, went behind it and apparated away.

**This is the complete chapter, hope you enjoyed it. **

**P.S – I could not figure out the Ravenclaw response. Any idea?**


	3. Chapter 3: Dumbledore

DISCLAIMER- I don't own the creations of JK Rowling

Chapter-3: Life and lies of Albus Dumbledore

(This is like a side dish to the main course. Rather common dish but I tried to make it a little different. Hope readers will enjoy it.)

At the headmaster's office in Hogwarts, Dumbledore watched, along with his deputy, as the dicta-quill addressed the last of the letters of the year, addressed to Percival Weasley. Minerva McGonagall then looked at the headmaster and he nodded, the signal for her to leave.

She went out of the room, to visit Charity Burbage, the muggle studies teacher and discuss the schedule. Every summer, the two of them would visit the muggle-born children and explain to the guardians the necessity of sending their children to Hogwarts, giving them the answer to the strange things that happened with their children. Dumbledore himself relaxed a little in the chair, thinking- four more years to go. He glanced at the sensors, it was all right- Harry was in one piece, the wards were standing.

He already had enough in his hand. When a boggart faced him, it now took the shape of Rita Skeeter. He did fear the nasty woman spreading slander about him, though he himself knew that everything he did was for the greater good. It was through his entire life that he followed the ideal.

He had enough to bother about. Tom had done one thing which he actually liked. Destroying the other schools in Britain, coupled with the decrease in population and fertility by the end of the war resulted in all the children of the land admitted to Hogwarts, his sphere of influence. That was good result.

He had another problem whenever he went to the International Wizard Conference in Geneva. There were envoys from all countries; it was really irritating to listen to them arguing about Harry Potter, the savior of magical Britain. All argued which major school of the world was best for the boy, as if he himself would let Harry attend anywhere except Hogwarts. He would not tell anything about Harry, be it the boys location or his own plans with the boy, the boy has to be his puppet.

With Tom gone, he was also gathering as much information as he can about the former's past, mostly by memories. It would help him to know Tom better, and thus smoothen the way to victory.

The other problem in his life was a person who gave him constipation. After the downfall of Tom, almost forty of his followers managed to wriggle out free and got their names cleared. The most prominent amongst them was Lucius Malfoy. The man had enough gold to buy his way into the ministry and tried to fill the position left behind by Tom. Dumbledore had managed to fill the empty Potter and Black seats in the Wizengamot with his own nominees, but Lucius Malfoy's name was a terror. While he would have beat Tom with a wand, Lucius armed with a speech and influence on the Wizengamot was not the same.

He had nightmares about Rita Skeeter digging about his past.

At his early life, he had plans of world domination, he found Grindelwald a partner- it was for the greater good of all. He found his ideas agreeing even with a muggle scientist named Darwin. It was sad that the brilliant idea failed due to the differences with Grindelwald.

He had killed his own sister in a moment of heat, but was it not for everyone's good? He and his brother were freed from a burden, Ariana was freed from her miserable life. He tried to block out the fact from his memory later. His brother had a guess, but had no proof- he could not be accused by anybody. He firmly believed that chapter of his life far beyond. He had his present rather full now.

The chocolate frog cards did not lie, he did defeat Grindelwald. Of course, there were more facts that were not mentioned, but that did not change the truth. He did the final task, right?

Muggles do know of the Second World War, but tend to trivialize the fact that Nazis were interested in occult belifs- it was a major point. In fact, Grindelwald had allied with the muggle German dictator and as a result, muggles and wizards fought together in the war, on both sides when Nazi Germany rose and was defeated, but few knew the truth. The people who knew were obliviated later.

Dumbledore remembered the meeting with muggle leaders. The heads of muggle governments do know about the existence of wizards, but they had to be convinced. The leaders understood that when the Statute of Secrecy was enacted, the deadliest muggle weapon was the arbalest, but even modern muggle weapons cannot kill an alerted wizard. Long-range one-shot blasters that the muggles called shells (and bombs if airdropped), flaming weapons and those firing high-velocity projectiles called guns, with different ranges and rate of fire, are useless against an alerted wizard, he or she would simply apparate away before those can hit them.

When muggle armies and planes advanced on the Nazi territories, the wizards also went with them, fighting Grindelwald's army. The muggle officers did know of a "special recon force", nothing more. The wizard coalition was more diverse in nationality than the muggles.

Finally, as he faced Grindelwald in front of the Nuremgard fortress, it was not his fault that his former lover was stunned for almost two seconds seeing Dumbledore. Those two seconds offered an advantage, he was not a fool to let go of any opportunity in a duel.

It was about twenty five years later that a dark wizard rose in his own homeland, his own former pupil Tom. Tom gathered his own followers and worked on his own agenda to rule Britain. He had his own style, different from Grindelwald, without allying with any muggle group.

Then, Dumbeldore had just two secrets, only one was dirty. He himself admired his image in the mirror, which resembled the muggle actor Michael Gambon. However, he had designed a false beard, moustache and long hair- all silvery white that he always wore when meeting other people.

It gave a good image in front of both children and adults, who were stupid to ignore the fact that the real thing would have a greater chance of catching lice, plus it would take extra labour to wash and comb, not to mention turning in bed would create an entangled mess. He would use a sticking charm on the disguise before going out and only cancel it before going to bed.

The other secret was dirty, but natural. He would now and then seek out muggle gigolos to satisfy his natural needs only, right? He did pay them out of his personal account and even obliviate them later, but the infernal magical media would treat this as a scandal. He had never touched any boys at Hogwarts though he sometimes wished to, no one would appreciate his restraint.

Coming back to Tom, he himself tried to check Tom's wreaking of terror across wizard Britain, which also resulted in some muggle killing. Though he failed in his plans and both the Ministry and his chosen followers in the Order of the Phoenix were getting killed one by one, he never gave up. It was indeed a dark period when a ray of hope appeared, from an unexpected person.

Sybill Trelawney, the descendant of a famous seer, had applied for the post of divination teacher at Hogwarts. The woman did know the principles of divination all right, but seemed to have no sight herself at first. However, she made a prophecy- the boy to vanquish Tom would be born soon, who will have powers that Tom does not have and in the end, only one will survive.

The wheels in Albus's brain already started rolling. Amongst his own Order, both Lily and Alice were pregnant. He hatched a plan that was justified just because it was for the greater good. Sacrificing one life would save the community, plus there were other benefits too.

He himself then again "met" Sybill at the Hog's Head. Putting the Imperious curse on her would make her repeat the prophecy in front of the whole crowd at the inn. The place was preferred by a shady clientele, he was sure that someone would hear it and leak the news to Tom. That "someone" turned out to be Mulciber, who heard it partially and ran away before anyone could react. Of course, Dumbledore could have stunned and obliviated the thug in normal conditions, but he would not then.

The hope was fulfilled. Both Lily and Alice conceived on the same day, the predicted one, at St Mungo's hospital. He himself turned up "to bless the boys", but actually felt their magical cores to get the answer- baby Potter had to be the chosen one, his magical core was more powerful.

Next phase of the plan would begin. Lily had wanted to move out of Britain with her husband, son and the Longbottoms but he persuaded her to stay back because it would result in a mass exodus. It was true, but he also had plans to sacrifice Lily- for the greater good as always. She did not revere him like others, his revenge would be sweet and private too.

The Potter manor was destroyed earlier, James's parents and the elves killed when Death eaters attacked the place. Albus asked them to hide in Godric's Hollow to execute the plan.

The plan was flawless. He actually had asked both Lily and Alice to prepare for the blood sacrifice ritual. He himself suggested the Fidelius charm, offered to be the Potters secret keeper, but later did for the Longbottoms. He guess was accurate, James chose his most trusted Sirius, he himself suggested Sirius to change it to Peter, who would leak the secret to Voldemort.

Dumbledore had found out that Peter was the traitor in their midst. Any simple-minded man would have grabbed Peter and thrown him away, but few would see the advantage- Peter can be used to feed Tom exactly the information Dumbledore wanted Tom to know. He knew nobody would approve, so he kept the secret to himself. This Peter can be turned into a tool to kill Lily.

There was an additional bonus. Severus Snape had the courage to defect for his childhood friend, he found a competent spy to plant in Death eater ranks and to manipulate.

It was unfortunate that James had to die, he would not abandon his wife. Albus advised them to place a powerful bind on baby Harry's magical core, it was natural because children with raw magic can be troublesome. Dumbledore had placed confoundus charms on both James and Lily because he wanted their deaths to be smooth, any clever wizard can turn their house into a collection of death-traps.

Tom attacked the Potters on Halloween night, when young Harry was fifteen months old. Sitting at his room in Scotland, Dumbledore was enjoying the Halloween (or Samhain) feast when the sensors told him that the plan was successful. Lily and James were dead, Harry alive. It meant that Tom was destroyed. He had smiled to himself, pulled out a parchment to compose a letter and sent Hagrid to recover the baby from the ruins.

Sirius would have posed a problem, but he hoped for the best. Hagrid met the man at the house, but had refused to hand over the baby to Sirius, the half-giant blindly followed Albus's orders, he was a useful henchman who did not argue or ask questions to the headmaster.

The man was sure to go after Peter in grief and rage, he hoped that Peter would land the man in trouble, thus out of the way. The hope was fulfilled, Peter soon landed Sirius in trouble and escaped. Cornelius Fudge had put the pensieve memory of Sirius muttering "I killed them", Albus argued it was enough evidence to put Sirius in Azkaban. He himself would free Sirius if the right time comes.

Albus placed the baby with his aunt. He had multiple reasons; there was no reason to tell it to anybody. He himself had told Minerva that he was doing what was best for the boy, it was a lie but he had to, it was not for the boy but for the greater good as always. He was sure that she would not argue with him.

He knew that Lily had placed blood protection wards around her sister's house, though the horse-faced woman hated Lily. If Harry was placed there, it would certainly strengthen the wards. He had put in some threat in the letter that he wrote to Vernon and Petunia, they would keep the boy for their own safety and thus, not react in an undesirable manner like dumping the baby elsewhere.

One loose end was tied up soon. He visited the Potter solicitor and placed a compulsion charm on the man, making him not execute the will of James and Lily- he did not even bother to know what was there. Anyway, he would not divulge the location of the boy to any of the nominees, if there were. Harry would be declared as a ward of Hogwarts, that was a nice plan.

He had killed just once more later, it was not even a murder, an elf is not a human. He had destroyed Tom using Lily as a pawn and Harry as the bait. When he found the lone surviving she-elf of Potter manor, crying over the graves of James and Lily, he was sure that baby Harry was not old enough to call her by name but a strong mental reminder may be equally effective, so he took no risk. He had pulled out his wand, and without anybody noticing, had used a spell that stopped the creature's heart. The elf would have died from grief anyway, it was kind of him. Thus the second end was tied up too.

He was certain that Harry would be neglected and abused- he knew what the Dursleys were like he did want it. At his age, he did not expect people to act contrary to their nature. According to the prophecy and his own guess, Harry was going to be powerful. He was sure that there would be either of two outcomes regarding the boy.

If the boy developed vicious tendencies, he would have to be killed before he becomes another Tom, that would give Dumbledore fame, having defeated three dark wizards in his lifetime. He would show no leniency to the boy. It was the worse outcome, but it was unlikely- his parents were good-natured.

Else, if the boy was broken, he would be easy to control and manipulate, being a weapon in Dumbledore's hands. The boy would desperately look for someone to save him from his horrible relatives, thus look upon the wizarding world as a savior at the time when the Hogwarts letter would arrive. He had planted a squib lookout in the house near Petunia's, the woman reported that the boy was of a nice nature and was in one piece- good for all.

He had placed a magic aversion-compulsion charm on Harry so that if any mage spots him, the person would avoid the boy and thus not draw attention. Muggles provide a safe background for wizards to fade into. He also placed his own tracking charm, he had to know where the boy was. Lastly, the magical bind on the boy's core was a necessity to keep- it would keep the boy from performing raw magic.

He did not tell anybody that the boy has to die at a suitable time. The scar that made him famous actually had a horcrux, a spilt soul of Tom residing there. Obviously it was accidental, but Tom would have made more, the change in his appearance would be due to that. He would keep his own hands clean, but Harry has to walk to his own slaughter, he would have to see to it. If Tom ever comes back and realize the fact, then the impossible would happen- Tom would protect Harry.

Harry should be grateful for being alive all the years. If anybody lived after Tom decided to kill them, barring Albus himself of course, then every day lived is a gift- Harry would live for years.

The soul fragment was weak because it could not feed off the boy's bound magical core, it was good.

Lastly, he felt that the boy has to die before coming of age, then he could not make any will and Potter Manor would be auctioned off by the Ministry, he could claim his share from it. The Potter vault would be divided between the Ministry, Hogwarts and maybe Gringotts would be given a share too.

After all, he did have some good moments planned out for Harry. The boy would surely look upon Hogwarts as his home, just like many others before with a bad childhood, like Tom and Severus. He would also ask Molly to show some nice behavior to Harry, she can tell her youngest son to be friends with Harry- the boy would be in the same year as Harry and be a useful lookout. As a return, Molly can be paid some money from the Potter wealth as a payment of gratitude.

It's a pity that he could tell no one of his brilliant scheme and receive appreciation. But he did not know that his plans were disrupted almost a year ago, but not enough for his lookout to notice.


	4. Chapter 4: changes

DISCLAIMER- I don't own the creations of JK Rowling

Chapter-4

(This chapter turned out sloppy, but next one will have better writing and a 11-year old Harry)

Harry was hoping to meet this Mr Prince again, but the man did not appear again at the park for a few days. When he met the man, he was really happy. He ran upto this total stranger, he again got a visit to the candy store and a sweet. Prince asked him to sit down at the bus stop and asked about his cousin.

Within ten minutes of talking with Prince, Harry suddenly realized that he was being very silly when he got beaten by Dudley and his gang. There was a pattern there, Harry had never realized it before though seeing it all times- Prince pointed that out to him.

Dudley and his two friends were fat and slow, it was usually the job of Piers Polkiss to chase Harry and hold him down. Also, the most favourite time for Dudley to engage in Harry hunting was on the way back from school, only a few times during lunch break.

Prince showed him the map of Little Whinging that was put up at the stop. He asked Harry to spot the school and the house on the map. Within a few minutes, Harry already mapped out three alternate routes to the house, making a note to walk through all of them.

Prince also told him to observe Dudley's gang, which paid good returns. He could keep an eye on them at times, they would put their heads together and glance in his direction, that was a huge clue. As a result, the favourite sport of Dudley suffered a serious setback within a short time.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The doorbell rang at five thirty, Petunia spoke to Harry "Your uncle must be home a little early, go and open the door, boy." She however, glanced at the door from the dining table.

Harry opened the door to find that Vernon was not standing there. Instead, there was a tall, pale woman with her long curly hair tied in a ponytail. Her dress was somewhat formal in nature, a long black coat and a grey loose trouser reaching upto the ankles. The woman was clutching a leather-bound file under her right arm. She smiled at Harry "Good afternoon, is there anyone grown-up at home, kid?"

Petunia had seen the woman too, she came forward with a questioning look on her face. The woman spotted her and smiled "Good afternoon, madam. I am Ursula Black from the British Department of Health and Social Care. I have a few questions to ask you, so may I come in?"

Petunia had a tense look in her face, but nodded "All right, come in. May I offer you anything?"

The woman was shown to the living room, she strode over to a table and opened the file. Dudley glanced at the woman for a moment and then lost any interest.

"Oh thanks, just a simple glass of water would do."

Petunia shot a glance at Harry and Dudley eating scones at the table, then got a glass of water herself for the woman. She then cleared her throat and said "So, you would state the purpose."

"Yes, I am coming to that. As I told you, I am from the Social Services and the ministry is conducting a survey regarding healthcare penetration. These two boys, are they your sons?"

"The smaller one is my sister's son, she died years ago." Her face was very pale.

"So," said Ursula, taking out two leaves of paper "can you tell me the names of these two boys?"

"This is Dudley Dursley, my nephew is Harry Potter."

"Allright" said the woman, scribbling at the two sheets "Now tell me their date of birth."

It was right there that the talk came to an end. Dudley suddenly threw a tantrum 'Mommy, I want to go out and play." Petunia snapped "Later, diddy." But that got the situation only worse.

Dudley took up the enormous softball that was lying by his side and hurled it at his favourite target, Harry. Harry was quick enough to duck out of the way, the ball sailed over and hit the glass of water on the table. Harry's eyes followed the falling glass of water to see something extraordinary.

The glass was falling to the carpet, but suddenly seemed to stop in mid-air. Then, incredibly, the motion reversed, with the glass moving back to the table, with the water going back inside. Harry then watched what caused the thing, Ursula was gesturing at the glass with her fingers.

The room went silent for a moment. Harry stared at the woman seeing an impossible thing, Aunt Petunia suddenly went red, Dudley's eyes were wide as saucers and the woman herself was shocked.

Petunia broke the silence with a screech "Freak! get out of my house right now."

Ursula looked at Petunia and said "Guess your spoilt son ruined the game. So, let me talk straight."

"I DON'T WANT A SINGLE WORD. GET OUT RIGHT NOW!"

The reply was in a voice of steel "You know what I can do, right?" and while talking, Ursula had taken out a wooden stick from somewhere in her coat and pointed it at Petunia.

Petunia gasped like a punctured balloon and said "What do you want from me? I never wanted him."

"I just want a little talk. So, would you kindly co-operate?"

"Okay, so sit down. Boy, stay here. DUDLEY, GO TO YOUR ROOM."

Dudley was surprised at his mother's behaviour but did not dare walk away when the woman spoke "No, he needs to stay here. I will make a clean job of it."

At the same time, she was holding a coin in her left hand. A man in a long black coat, black hair and goatee entered the house from the front door and pointed a stick at Dudley, the fat boy immediately rolled up his eyes and fell down to sleep on a sofa.

The man looked at a shocked Petunia and said "See, under control. The boy will have no memory. You may know who I am, I will not change your memory."

"So, you may take him and go, whatever your real name is. You don't want my son, right?"

The woman smiled at Harry and gently touched his forehead with her right hand. Harry's eyes suddenly grew heavy; he sat down on the easy chair and fell to a deep sleep.

"My real maiden name is Andromeda Ursula Black and we are not here to take the boy permanently. We want to take him for a health check-up right now and bring him back within an hour. You need not inform your husband of a trivial thing, right? It will complicate matters."

Petunia nodded vigorously, Andromeda continued "so, both the boys will not have any memory of this incident. I expect sensible behavior from you, right?"

Petunia again nodded and Andromeda packed up the wooden stick and file. She walked to the back door and walked out two steps, then vanished into thin air in front of Petunia's eyes.

The man also picked up a sleeping Harry and followed the woman.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Snape had observed Vernon and knew where to hit.

Vernon was washing his face at a sink in the spacious bathroom when a man materialized out of thin air just behind him. He screamed in terror and tried to run out, but the knob refused to turn.

He turned to the man, a pale young man in a black dress, with long raven hair. He knew what type of man he was but bellowed "You want a nasty business, I can give you one with my fists. Care for a man to man fight instead of anything freakish?"

The man smirked "I don't need my hands or magic to deal with you. I will just meet your wife and tell her that Vernon Dursley does like Soho walk-in girls visiting the office now and then."

"Hey, they are professionals. I will not leave my wife and son for them."

"So, may I tell that to your wife, Vernon?" the man was amused by the reply.

Vernon gasped like a wounded bull "What do you want?"

"That's what I like. I want to tell you that your wife may behave oddly within a short time, just don't do anything on your part. None of your business, I may add. Else, I will tell all to her, I may even supply some photographs to back up my claims."

Vernon nodded mutely and the man vanished the next moment. He found that he could open the door once more, so he almost ran to his room and collapsed on the chair.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Snape and Andromeda took Harry directly to Gringotts via a port key provided by the goblins and they performed a full-body scan on the boy for a price of six galleons, against five for St Mungos.

The goblins did not ask questions when the patient was supposed to be a Potter scion. Also, there was unlikely for Dumbledore to have a contact inside the colony and provide any information.

A goblin handed them the report "There are the results, you two see it. Any questions?"

Snape spoke "Mrs Tonks, if your husband sees the malnutrition and recommend potions, I can see to it. This tracking and mage aversion charm is interesting, so is the bind on the boy's core. What is the unusual thing about the boy's scar? You cannot understand it, goblin?"

"Mr Snape, we can treat it. Our healer said the ritual is to be undertaken when the boy turns 11 and the magical core fully stabilizes. We would contact our branch in Egypt by then for best results."

Snape and Andromeda then parted ways after taking a tea together.

"Severus, I will send you an owl with my husband's recommendations. You can take the boy back?"

"Be assured, I have some words and hypnotism for dear Tuney. Thank fate it worked out fine, else I would have contacted Rita Skeeter and blew up the whole thing."

"You would be using magic on her and escape detection?"

"No, a little hypnotism and suggestions. If someone calls in the services, their image will be hit badly, the neighbours will talk bad about them. I may also say that our people will not react well when they hear the news. The ministry will not get a good trace on wands."

The idea of monitoring wands was amusing to Snape. Apart from wands, various types of magic is performed by rituals, hand and finger gestures, staff, athame daggers and mind magic can be performed by a competent master by eye contact only.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Harry did not know why, but his aunt's behavior changed within a week. She did not treat him like Dudley, but things changed a lot, for the better. Vernon simply ignored it and after Dudley threw a few unheeded tantrums, he did not react either.

Harry was moved out of the cupboard into the spare bedroom. Petunia let Dudley keep all the big toys that he was fond of, managed to sell off the broken ones for scrap and let Harry have all the rest- books, puzzles and the smaller toys. He did not wear hand-me-down clothes but Petunia managed to buy clothes fit for his size at garage sales. She even bought him glasses at a proper shop in time.

She continued to provide Dudley with special things, but always gave a small bit to Harry.

Vernon was suspicious of his wife's behavior but after asking a few questions in bed, he was sure that Petunia was not changed with an impostor, so he kept quiet too.

Dudley got a rude shock while trying to beat Harry at school, after failing to do so on the way home. The boy ran very fast, while every other children present gathered and mobbed them. The sport of Harry hunting stopped soon afterwards in the school too.

Snape had taken a risk, by disillusioning himself, going to Harry's school and casting compulsion charms on the children, but it was worth for Lily's son. The spoilt bully and his gang was taught a lesson, they stopped bullying the other children too.

Harry had a few friends at school, they were good company. After Dudley's gang got lynched, they kept mostly to themselves. He felt better at school than at home, which was not really his own house.

"Mr Prince" did meet Harry in the park a few times. He did not buy Harry sweets but gave him odd-coloured drinks to eat, which was bland but he liked those afterwards nonetheless. He also taught Harry how to meditate and exercise, the boy got much better in both body and mind.

Prince also taught him some words to use on Dudley. When the fat boy was complaining about food one day at the table, Harry had remarked "Food tastes better to me because I do housework."

The boy was surprised at the words, but tried to do some chores himself when he found his cousin was speaking the truth, lessening the load on Harry by atleast doing some of the chores.

The man had vanished after six months, but Harry could never forget his lessons and kindness. He was also surprised at the change in the behavior of the Dursleys. Though Vernon and Petunia continued to brood over their son, Harry's life became much better. He suspected whether the meeting with Prince were mere co-incidences, but had no evidence.


	5. Chapter 5: Letters

DISCLAIMER- I don't own the creations of JK Rowling

Chapter-5: The strange letters

Summer holidays had already started. The Dursleys were quite fussy about their son attending high school. Dudley and his best friend (Harry called him a henchman) Piers had received acceptance letters from Smeltings, uncle Vernon's old alma mater. Harry, on the other hand, had already attended Stonewall high, the local public school for a year in theory, but more in practice.

Vernon and Petunia were bland about their son. When they received news that Harry performed well in school, they ignored it and when Dudley had poor marks, they commented about the poor standards of the school. They felt that Smeltings would evaluate their son more accurately.

After the encounters with Mr Prince, his aunt and uncle's behavior changed, though he did not know if there was a connection between the two. He was not treated equal to Dudley, but he himself was happy on the thought that if he was treated like his cousin, he would become like Dudley.

He was now a boy with height normal for his age, with an athletic frame, developed from jogging. Petunia did not mind him taking porridge, milk and fruit juice, Dudley never liked those. His cousin, on the other hand, resembled Vernon - a big, beefy frame but with Petunia's hair.

Ever since his life changed for the better almost five years ago, Vernon had tried a new plan to push Harry beyond the boy's limits. The school principal had announced that though Harry was not a prodigy, yet he could grasp things beyond the mental capacity of his peers. Now, he was studying things that were two years ahead of what children of his age studied. He himself studied hard, knowing that studies would help him to get away from his relatives sooner. It would surely give him a life better than working at the local mechanic's shed or shops, only scope of employment locally.

At home, he and his relatives mostly avoided each other. After he did the chores assigned to him by Petunia, they stayed out of each other's path. At school, he had a few friends, one too close. He watched Dudley receive many presents on his birthday. At the mention of Harry's birthday, Vernon had shrugged off, saying that they did not know the date but Harry was happy that when Petunia cooked special things, a small bit of it was given to Harry.

Harry had a normal life, except for a few odd things. He suspected that he was somehow famous, he knew from the gossip news Petunia liked to follow- people know celebrities, but not the other way round. Some strange people on the street seemed to know him, but he did not know them.

These people were of different appearances but had three common features- they seemed to dress oddly, seemed to recognize Harry only after looking at the scar on his forehead and either walked away or seemed to vanish into thin air when Harry tried to get a second look at them.

He had tried to ask his aunt about the lightning-shaped scar, got the answer that it was from the same "bad man" who killed his parents. However, he did not know why the scar was so unusual- it was thin, had a black colour and did not fade even after all the years. They did not even tell where the house was, or what happened to the "bad man".

Asking the Dursleys was futile, they never liked Harry asking questions, particularly about his past and parents. In fact, Harry didn't even know how they looked like, he had seen no pictures of them and were never talked about. He did not miss them because he hardly remembered them and knew that the dead do not come back.

He tried to keep away from the house as much as he could. Dudley's gang visited the house every day. After the lynching the boys had received years ago at the school, they and Harry had taken to a solution of mutual avoidance. Harry kept most of time in the library, studying for the coming year.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The day had started like every normal day. Harry woke up in the morning and went to the breakfast table, helping himself to some food, everyone else were minding their own businesses. The three Dursleys appeared blind to Harry's appearance at the table, but he was used to this kind of care, so began eating the food without any sound.

Uncle Vernon was in his usual routine. He was a very predictable man. Apart from work and home, his world revolved around the newspaper, the daily news and boxing on the television. When the sound of the incoming mail was heard from the table, he said "Get the mail, boy."

Harry went to the door and found three arrivals- a postcard from Marge, a bill of some kind and an envelope without any postage stamp, addressed to, he gasped, Mr Harry James Potter. He took the envelope in his left hand, it was a heavy parchment one, addressed in green ink and with no postage stamps. He blinked again, then came back to the table, handing over the other two to Vernon.

He sat at the chair and turned over the yellow envelope. On the other side, there was a purple seal with a large capital H and four animals at the four edges, but he did not make out what those were. Even before he could open it, suddenly Vernon's large hand reached across the table and jerked it away.

"Reading other's letters is bad manner, hope we taught you that." growled his uncle.

Harry tried to protest "It was addressed to me, it is my letter. Please give it to me."

But Vernon was not listening, he chuckled "You have nobody to write to you, forgot that?"

He took the letter out, which was written in the same sort of parchment. He had hardly read the first line when his face went white, he looked at his wife and gasped "Petunia, it's from _them_ !"

Within a moment, Petunia's eyes were wide in terror, her face pale too.

Harry screamed "Let me see my letter, who are they? Give it to me!"

Dudley joined in the scene "What's so special, let me see it."

It was perhaps for the first time that both Harry and Dudley found out how strong Vernon was. He grabbed Harry by the waist and lifted him up with one hand, Dudley was similarly lifted by two hands seconds later and he threw both of them into the living room one after the other, shutting the door behind them. Dudley was stunned, he had never received treatment like that.

Harry knew that he could not prevent Dudley from listening at the keyhole, so he tried from under the door. It was a futile attempt, his aunt and uncle were talking in barely audible whispers.

After almost fifteen minutes, the door opened. Vernon looked normal and spoke first "Dudley, if you want to go to your friends house, start moving. Boy, ask your aunt about the days chores and start it. After you finish the work, you can go to the library."

"What was in my letter? Where is it?" asked Harry stubbornly. Petunia was about to say something, but Vernon stopped her with his hand and faced Harry, with a smile on his lips and a glint in his eye.

"Oh, I have burnt it. It was addressed to you by mistake. It was from a lunatic asylum, they thought you are one of their inmates. Surely you are not abnormal?" he chuckled.

Harry shook his head mutely, Vernon cheerfully said "So, what are you waiting for? Get going." He himself went towards the phone, then shook his head and turned back.

The rest of the day was normal, but only one small incident happened during the night. After dinner, Harry passed his uncle and aunt's bedroom and heard them conversing.

"Vernon, you should have phoned Little Whinging Post Office. They may try again."

"Petunia dear, I went there myself before going to work. I found the postman who was delivering the mail. Can you believe it, the letter was lying at our doorstep, so he picked it up and dropped it with our regular mail. Gave the idiot a piece of my mind, hope he learnt a lesson."

"If they try to contact again?" the voice was anxious.

"I am not having one in the house, Petunia. We will not reply, they will give up all hope. We took the boy in with that letter ten years ago, that's enough for us."

Harry was puzzled, but felt too sleepy and helpless at that point. Why would his uncle and aunt be scared of an asylum? When he went to bed, the conversation had almost leaked out of his memory.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next day proved even odd. They had all sat down at the breakfast table and were eating quietly, when a loud screeching sound was heard and a grey owl flew in through the kitchen window, it was clutching a yellow envelope similar to yesterday in its beak.

The bird circled the room, landed on the breakfast table at and empty space and dropped the letter. It then looked at the four people, gave a soft hooting noise and tapped the letter with its beak.

A second later, complete chaos erupted. Vernon gave a loud bellow, threw his teacup at the owl, then grabbed the new stick of Dudley and lashed out at the bird. Both Harry and Dudley dived for the letter, Vernon grabbed it with one hand and tried to hit the bird with the stick. The owl's eyes surveyed the scene for a moment, then it screeched and flew out of the window, the same way it came, leaving behind a few feathers.

Vernon stuck the letter in his pocket, grabbed Harry and Dudley, doing exactly what he did yesterday. He then took out the letter and began to read it, tearing at his moustache at the same time. After he read the letter for a few times, he suddenly gave a triumphant yell.

He looked at his surprised wife and smiled "Haven't you seen the nicest thing about it, dear?" and seeing the blank look on her face, he continued "They want a reply by July 31st, if we can.."

Seeing the happy look on his wife's face, he smiled again and walked a few paces around the room. He then burnt the letter and opened the door to the living room, smiling at the two puzzled boys. He spoke "All right, you three pack your clothes. We will leave for a few days."

Three different voices spoke together "Where?"

"Majorca. Tonight, we will be staying at London, I will try to contact the Spanish authorities for our visas. Hurry up, we have not got all day. You two, take your school ID cards and get going."

An hour later, the four set off in a car towards London. Vernon had whacked Dudley around the head for attempting to pack his computer in the trunk. He had asked Petunia to drive the car, himself sitting at the back with a binocular in his hand, looking through it every now and then.

Harry was thinking why would a lunatic asylum use owls to deliver letters, plus whether owls can be so well-trained but he knew that no one would answer his questions.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The stay in London lasted only for one night. The drive from Little Whinging to London took some time. Vernon found out a hotel for them and asked three of them to stay, then went out, probably to talk to the Spanish authorities for a visa. He returned in the evening, looking tired but happy. Harry was too tired for the day, so he went to sleep after watching a cartoon show that Dudley was seeing too.

One thing was good, Vernon was confused a little and had booked a four-bedded room, it had comfortable beds for all of them. They changed in the attached bathroom before relaxing.

He felt sure about one thing. He had never been to London before, but from the sheer size and bustle of the city, along with the traffic on the road- it would be very hard to follow them or their car. However, he and his relatives were proved wrong the very next morning.

The next morning, everything started normally for a few moments. Petunia was thinking about sightseeing, Vernon phoned the reception for tea and threatened Dudley to let him watch the news before switching over to cartoons. Harry was looking out of the windows when hell broke loose.

The room service boy came in with tea, cookies and a parchment envelope. "Excuse me, but there is a letter addressed to Mr. Harry James Potter, with your room number on it. Someone had left it in the reception this morning. Is he amongst you?"

Vernon suddenly went red, said "I'll take it." grabbed the letter and went out of the room. The service boy was puzzled at this behavior, but he shrugged, left the tray on the table and went out.

Vernon did not return till half an hour. He smiled nervously at the three of them, then said "What are you waiting for? Get packing. I have paid the bills and will be moving out as soon as we can." For the next five minutes, he shouted at Dudley, who was refusing to turn off the television.

He then took the car and himself drove it, looking at a road atlas he had collected from somewhere. He was very happy and humming to himself. Nobody dared ask him about the letter.

Petunia spoke in a small voice "Vernon, the trip to Majorca?"

He smiled "Oh, I have a better plan. We would be going to South Africa, it is farther away and more interesting. I have asked someone to make arrangements; we will return to London on the day of our flight. I will keep contact by phone to keep track of the progress."

London was soon left behind, they drove for a few hours and reached the coastline. Vernon parked the car on a coastal road, a little outside of a small town and went to the place. It was already afternoon, some grey clouds were gathering in the horizon. Harry had never seen the sea before, so was actually enjoying the view and sound of crashing waves silently.

Vernon returned after an hour, at the back seat of a two-wheeler driven by a rough-looking middle-aged man with beard and tattoos, clutching a large package in his hand. He got back at the driver's seat and followed the man driving the motorbike. Soon, they halted at a spot.

The place was by the sea, however a small shack was visible on a small rock a little out. The man took them on a boat and rowed them to the rock. Vernon was looking very cheerful. He said " There is forecast for a storm tonight, nice weather. Don't worry, I have got food for all."

The shack had a bed and few furnishing. Vernon's food turned out to be a large loaf of bread, a wheel of cheddar, pork pies and beer, besides bottled water. "Healthy British food." He remarked.

There was a single lantern for lighting, with an empty fireplace. There were nothing to make a good fire, the food packets would burn in a few moments. Dudley tried to complain about the lack of a television, but a furious glare from his red-faced father turned him quiet.

The storm really rose in the late evening, it was really fierce- with strong winds and waves. Petunia had found some moldy blankets. She and Vernon went to sleep on the bed, Dudley went to sleep on the sofa and Harry climbed up on the table, using his assigned blanket as a pillow. Harry had a single pork pie to eat against Dudley's five, but he was happy with that.

The journey and the food was enough for Harry to drift off to sleep, the raging storm and waves lashing against the rocks could not shake off the tiredness. However, after some time, Harry awoke with a jump. He looked at the watch on Dudley's wrist, it was hardly past midnight. He realized that the storm was still raging on, but another sound was being made- someone was knocking at the door rather loudly.


	6. Chapter 6: Hagrid

DISCLAIMER- I don't own the creations of JK Rowling

_Note1- t42n24t2- Spoiler- Harry will meet some more people before going to Hogwarts, including his parents and a girl who may be his lady in future._

_Note2- My AU Hagrid is not a bad person but has little interest in anything other than dangerous living things. His profession is following instructions given by higher authorities at Hogwarts. Harry will also react in a way separate than in the canon_.

Chapter six- Hagrid and the Harpy

The sound of the knocking was so loud that Dudley also jerked awake; his parents also came out with Vernon carrying the lantern in his left hand and a fire poker in his right. Harry was surprised too and he was a bit worried about the person standing outside in this storm, was it the owner?

Vernon walked up to the door and shouted "Who is there? Leave, we will not open the door."

A strange thing happened. The knocking stopped and seconds later, the door fastenings were undone on their own and the door swung open, revealing the large dark shape standing outside. Vernon staggered backwards, his face pale and the hands seemed to shake from fear. Petunia and Dudley scrambled and hid behind Vernon, who put down the lantern and tried to hold the iron tender firmly.

When the shape stepped inside, Harry could see who it was. It was a man; the oddest thing about him was that the head was almost touching the roof of the shack, he was so tall and also about five times broader than an average man. Else, Harry was reminded of the tramps who sometimes wandered into Little Whinging. The man was wearing a large khaki overcoat, with very long black hair and beard reaching up to the chest, leaving only the region from forehead to nose visible.

The man stepped inside, then turned back towards the door and shut it, lessening the sound of the storm and the spray of water also stopped. He was carrying a thin wooden stick almost two feet long in his right hand, which he then pointed in front of him. A small white light erupted from its tip, illuminating the room much better. He pointed the light at each of their faces, before stopping at Harry's face. Then he spoke in a gruff voice, while keeping the light pointed at Harry.

"Yeh are Harry Potter, right?"

Harry nodded silently, while cursing himself for his stupidity. Why had he not hidden in a corner or behind the sofa before he was spotted? The giant looked at him for a moment before turning off the light in the strange torch that he was carrying. He then looked around the room with his beetle eyes.

The giant spoke again "Blimey, it's cold here. A fire would be good, don't ye think?"

He then picked up the strewn food packaging, strode over to the fireplace and leant over the place. Harry could not see what the giant did, but after moments, the huge figure stepped back, revealing a glowing blue fire that was burning silently, but a feel of comfort swept over the entire room, almost like wrapped by a warm blanket.

The giant tucked the wooden stick inside his coat, looked at Harry and spoke again "Yeh had grown a lot since I last saw yeh. Yeh 'ave got yer dad's hair but mum's eyes." He then strode over and sat on the sofa, which made an awkward noise under the enormous body. The man then took out a bottle of red liquid from a pocket in the coat and drank a swig of it.

Vernon suddenly found his voice and spoke "You get out of here, you great brute. You don't own this goddamn place, I rented the place for the night. If you don't get out right now without trouble, then.." he tried to brandish the iron poker in a threatening way.

The giant looked at Vernon, then spoke "Ah, shut up Dursley, yeh great pudding. I have come 'ere to give Harry 'is things." He stretched out a huge hand, jerked the poker out of Vernon's hand and twisted it as if it was of rubber before throwing it to the floor. Vernon made a choking noise.

Harry spoke "Who are you? What have you got for me at this hours?"

The giant was stunned for a moment and said "Oh, forgot to introduce myself. I am Rubeus Hagrid, everyone calls me Hagrid. The headmaster had asked me to deliver yer letter to yeh, and told me to take a cake for yer birthday too. Should 'ave wished ye a happy birthday."

Harry had a strange feeling. He had asked his relatives when his birthday was. Even after their behavior changed five years ago, they had simply shrugged and said that his parents had left behind no date, they only knew the month. Who was this man who knew about his birthday?

Harry looked at the man's great hands, they held a parchment letter and a grey cardboard box. He took them, set the box down at the table and looked at the letter. It was addressed in his name, but the address was changed to The Shack, On the rock, Southend-on-sea.

Currently he was feeling very irritated after deprived of his sleep, and there were many questions running on his mind. A lunatic asylum was not fitting into what had happened till now and was happening right now. Hagrid gestured at the letter, urging Harry to read it.

Vernon suddenly screamed "You boy, leave the letter, it has nothing to do with you. You leave right now, sir. Else I will contact the police and get you arrested."

Hagrid looked at Vernon and seemed calm but surprised. He spoke in an amazed voice "Blimey, the headmaster is always right. He told me that yeh lot were not letting Harry read his letters. He even said that yeh would cause trouble and yeh have not told Harry what he is, right?"

Harry looked at the entire scene with surprise and asked "What am I? I think you are mistaken, Mr Hagrid. Uncle said that a lunatic asylum is sending me the letters, but I am not mad."

Hagrid gave the Dursleys an angry look and spoke "Don't trust yer relatives, 'arry. Yeh are not mad, yeh are a wizard and a famous one, everyone in our world knows yer name and yer parent's names. They have not told yeh anything about ye or yer parents, I assume."

Harry spoke in a cold voice "Oh, I already know that I am famous, but don't know why. My relatives have told me about my parents, a bad man broke into their house and killed them."

Hagrid was puzzled but he spoke again "Ye know that ye are famous? How?"

"Of course I know. I think it's because of the scar on my forehead, right?"

It was Vernon who broke the stunned silence "How did you know that? Who told you?"

"It's very simple, uncle. Maybe aunt has not told you, but some strange people on the street seem to know me, but I don't know them. They seem to know me when they see my scar. It was then when I was asked to change my hairstyle by aunt. They are wizards?"

Hagrid spoke "Yeh are yerself a wizard too, Harry. That's why yeh were sent letters by Hogwarts. Ye don't know about yer parents, right? They studied at Hogwarts too. It's the best school of magic around and yer name was put down for Hogwarts ever since yeh were born. "

"How did you know what day is my birthday? How did you know where I was staying?"

Hagrid smiled "I didn't know anything, Harry. The headmaster told me all and gave me the key to this shack. He is a great man and knows a lot."

Headmaster! The word kept turning up all times. Harry did feel curious about this person. He did not understand the word key but that could wait. He opened the letter and read it, then said "I have to think of it. But what happened to my parents, did a bad man kill them? I heard so."

Hagrid spoke "Ye are clever, Harry. But yer relatives did tell the truth, a bad wizard killed yer parents. He tried to kill yeh too, but failed and he himself was destroyed. That's why yeh are famous, ye saved all the wizards of Britain. The bad wizard was really bad, he and his followers killed some of the best wizards and witches, but something about yeh stopped him. The scar on yer forehead is the mark of the curse that he tried to cast on you after killing yer parents at their house. Those were terrible times Harry, but yeh stopped him on the Samhain night ten years ago."

"I killed him? What happened to him after that?"

"Some say he was killed, but the headmaster says he is still alive, waiting fer a chance ter come back and regain his powers." Suddenly Hagrid chest seemed to puff up with pride "It was I who removed yeh from the destroyed house under the headmaster's orders. I hid the whole day, then brought yeh to yer relatives, watched as the headmaster left yeh on their doorstep that night with a letter."

Vernon suddenly came between Harry and Hagrid "He is not going to your school. Wizard indeed! When we took him in I decided that I will not tolerate that nonsense. I have read the letter, it says he needs spellbooks and other sorts of crap, I am not going to buy him those or pay for his school. He will continue going to Stonewall High and will be grateful for it."

"The son of James and Lily not going to Hogwarts? Ye are mad. They were among the best wizards and witches of their times Anyway, a big muggle like you are not going to stop him. I am going to take him to buy his school things tomorrow, ye don't worry Harry."

"Who's a muggle?" asked a curious Harry.

"We call non-magical folk like them muggles. It is yer bad luck that ye had to grow up amongst these horrible big muggles who didn' tell ye anything about ye. Go to sleep, ye lot too Dursley, it's getting late, busy day tomorrow. I have to rest too."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Vernon, step back." The voice that spoke seemed to be that of Petunia, but Harry had never heard her speak in that voice before, it was like a cracking whip. When he looked at his aunt, he was surprised to see the person standing there. Petunia did not look her normal self. Her eyes were blazing, her teeth seemed threatening. Even Hagrid was dumbstruck seeing her in that form.

"You!" she began speaking a dangerously angry voice "Why don't you tell him everything then? Let me do it then. Harry Potter, the savior of freaks in Britain dumped on the doorstep of his muggle relatives on a November night after saving those freaks? The headmaster of the freak school dumped him on our doorstep, he could not find an orphanage or a adoptive freak family for the famous savior."

Harry himself felt surprised, seeing the dumbstruck look on Hagrid's face, he could tell that it was perhaps the truth. Vernon and Dudley were looking at Petunia in wonder.

She continued "You freaks don't have the common sense that a child can catch cold or be bitten by a beast or insect if left like that. Your lot didn't even bother to tell us, let alone ask for our permission. You all just dumped him on our doorstep and left, to be picked up with newspapers and milk bottle. His forehead had a raw wound, I got it treated. He had to grow up near our son, it was our luck that he did not do anything abnormal. We gave him a bed and roof, fed and clothed him, arranged for his school."

Petunia took a breath and continued "So, is it the boy's bad luck or your Headmaster's decision that the boy had to grow in our family? Why was he not raised among his own kind? Where was the headmaster all these years, who dumped him and did not even help us with a single penny?"

Harry broke the awkward silence that followed "You all knew that I am not a normal human? After all, I found that I could speak to the garden snakes, but can I do magic if I am a wizard?"

He spoke, but a rage was rising within him, directed at this headmaster person- who had a long name as said in the letter. The dumbstruck face of Hagrid implied that Petunia was speaking the truth. Hagrid tried to mumble something but no sound came out of his mouth.

Petunia turned at Harry and spoke in a sarcastic voice "Oh, you should be one. How can you not be, with my sister being a freak? She got a letter like that and went to that freak school to learn magic."

She turned at Vernon and said "Sorry dear, by I did not want to upset you by saying that the freak could talk to garden snakes. I saw him doing it and forbade him to tell anybody, I did not want the neighbours or anyone at the school to know he is a freak."

Harry had a doubt in his mind, he asked "But aunt, were any of your parents magical then? Or mum was a witch suddenly born in a family of normal people? "

"No, they would not believe the letter and thought it as a joke or worse. However, Lily knew that she was a witch. She could do all sorts of odd freaky things from her childhood, plus that horrible Snape boy who lived nearby was that freak type too, he told her of that school and of the letter long ago."

Harry felt curious about his maternal grandparents, so he asked "Then how did they allow her when they saw that letter? Did they visit the school or took the word of that little boy?"

"Oh no, the letter was shortly followed by a teacher from the place. She showed us that magic was real and explained why she would attend the school, learning to do magic, blah blah."

Harry turned to Hagrid "So, Mr. Hagrid, are you a teacher at that school?"

The strange things that happened till now- the door opening by itself, the strange blue fire on the fireplace and the thin wooden torch, all was magic then.

Hagrid was staring open-mouthed at the entire scene, but he mumbled and spoke "Err, no. I am the keeper of the keys, grounds and game at Hogwarts. I was expelled in my third year."

Harry could already feel rage, now he felt burning humiliation rising inside him, almost like acid corroding his insides. Hagrid was not a teacher but though he could not understand Hagrid's job, he could guess it was of a position below teachers. Plus, this man was not really explaining anything. However, he was alerted by another sharp screech from Petunia.

"I haven't finished! Dad and mum were so proud of my freak sister- Lily is so charming, she is so clever, so nice and she can do magic! As if I was picked from the street on their mercy! Then she met that Potter freak there, you were born and now I am a trash bin, have to take dead Lily's freak son in my family!" She finished talking and was panting, though her cheeks were flushed red.

Hagrid said something that sounded ridiculous "Err, Harry, yeh are coming with me to buy yer school things tomorrow, right? London is a long journey from here. I will buy yeh a birthday gift too."

Harry was not having any feeling of wonder at knowing that magic is real. The anger and humiliation was bubbling inside him. He spoke in an icy voice "Why? I am doing well in my school, why should I go to learn magic? They don't want me to, they are my guardians, plus I do not feel the need to turn people into frogs, birds or anything else."

"But yer name is in the list. Yeh will love the castle, it is an amazing place. Yeh will have a great time there, believe me. I came all the way to give yeh the letter. Don't listen to the muggles."

"I myself do not want to go to any magic school." Harry said firmly "as it is night-time, you may spend it here. Go away tomorrow." The shack went silent after that, with the elder Dursleys looking at him with a strange look on wonder on their faces.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Next morning, Harry awoke on the table, thinking about the strange dream he had last night. The giant named Hagrid wanted to take him to buy things for a wizard's school. However, as he sat up, he saw the massive figure on the sofa, he knew it was real. He himself sat silent for a few moments.

Vernon and Petunia stepped into the room then. Vernon was in a good mood, he was smiling, he prodded Hagrid with a second fire poker. "Hey, it's time to go, sir. We are leaving shortly too."

Hagrid awoke with a start, looked around and then spotted Harry. He spoke "Harry, yeh sure yeh don't want to come?" but the blank look on Harry's eyes stopped him. He mumbled "All right, yeh take the cake then. I bought along sausage too, fer eating in the morning. Wanna eat it?"

Harry's school had taught him many times not to accept gifts from strangers. Even the strange Mr Prince years ago bought him sweets and himself drank a few drops of the strange liquids that he asked Harry to drink in secret. Yet, Petunia talked even before he could react.

"Harry, don't take anything that he offers you. The food can have all sorts of tricks in them."

Hagrid tried to say something, but no sound came out of his mouth. He looked at Harry with a hurt look in his face, Harry looked away in return. Hagrid then took out a silvery coin from his pocket and stepped outside the shack. Harry went out of the shack seconds later out of curiosity, expecting to see Hagrid rowing away on a huge boat, but the big man seemed to have vanished into thin air.


	7. Chapter 7: it's magic

DISCLAIMER- I don't own the creations of JK Rowling

_ Cassandra- in the canon Harry is curious about the ministry but not how Hagrid is carrying the key to his vault, has no concern about it. _

_A confession, it is difficult to totally avoid the other writers._ _This one is mostly a side dish_, _will return to the main plot in the next chapter_.

Chapter 7- It's magic

Albus Dumbledore was surprised. How can his plans go wrong? Harry was supposed to go with Hagrid, the Dursleys should not have posed a problem. Harry would be amazed to know of his own nature, the Dursleys would have suffered from a guilty conscience, he had told Hagrid how to behave there.

When Hagrid returned that morning at the hall too soon with the port-key, he knew something went wrong, it only got worse when he heard it all. How did Petunia muster the courage to lash out like that? Worse, she had spoken the truth and the boy was not keen to come to Hogwarts.

His plans cannot fail. Harry had to be a broken boy, cling to a savior from his relatives, otherwise how can the boy be moulded into what Albus wanted him to be? He gestured Hagrid to leave, himself deep in thought. However, he soon came up with a second name, that person would not need much instruction and may be able to win Harry's trust; though he is not in Albus's control.

In the summer holidays, the castle went too empty, with even some of the staff gone. Albus was busy with his thoughts and did not see the face of his potions master curled in an amused smile. He had to wait for this person, talk a little and put a compulsion charm on the man inside his own office.

The compulsion charm would make the man not tell Harry just one thing. Maybe it was unethical, but would put Albus's plan back on track, thus had to be done for the greater good.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Professors McGonagall and Burbage had the schedule of visiting each muggle-born student and their parents every day, explain the strange letters and the reason behind the odd abilities of their children. They have to explain and impress the children and their parents with magic.

It was a regular schedule, being followed every year. Then McGonagall would leave after the paperwork, Burbage and a person from the muggle liaison department would show the children and their parents around the platform, Gringotts and Diagon alley on a pre-scheduled date.

Yesterday, they had visited the Finch-Fletchey family, whose son's name was put for a high-ranked muggle institute. They had even been proud that their son was able to control the strange things with the help of muggle healers. They were doubtful, but display of some magic and the fact that there was a magical government in Britain greatly increased their faith in two teachers.

Today was again different. The Grangers were muggle healers focused on teeth and the adjoining regions, their bushy-haired daughter was the magic child. She was very excited, her parents were polite but skeptical. The two teachers readied themselves for the conversation.

Hermione's parents were surprised to see the two teachers. They were dressed in rather odd flowing cloaks, but nothing else was special about them. The middle-aged woman sounded formal with a Scottish accent, the other woman was younger and very plain in appearance.

"So" began her father "where is this special boarding school of yours located?" he was in a queer mood after learning that he and his wife were "muggles". They were polite to serve their guests tea and biscuits, but did not know how the conversation would proceed.

"It is located beside a lake in northern Scotland. It cannot be located by ordinary means, the entire place is on un-plottable land. Your daughter will see it when she visits the place." said McGonagall.

"Professors, I did a little research about the schools in Britain when I saw that letter. Scotland does have about 21 boarding schools and over 300 secondary schools, I am sorry to say that your school was not on that list. Will you explain that please?"

Burbage spoke "Of course you wouldn't find it. We wizards and witches keep our affairs separate and secret from the muggle world. You know of the witch hunts, right? Our community then decided to mind our own businesses and still keep secret to avoid conflict. I may inform you that the Prime minister of this country is notified of our presence, there is a small secret directorate in the muggle government too for liaison with us. In fact, there is a confidential branch in all world governments."

The girl's mother now spoke "Is what we read about your people true? You worship the devil, drink the blood of babies and boil them in cauldrons. Our daughter will do all that?"

Burbage explained "We don't teach dark magic at Hogwarts. You yourself can see the booklist and get idea about what is taught there. We have our own government and law enforcement agency. When the witch hunts began, we were often maligned and the dark practices magnified."

"What is the future of our daughter after studying in this school?" asked Mr. Granger.

"You please understand this- your daughter will learn to control and use her magic at Hogwarts. As she spends more time, she will be aware of careers in our world. Else, she can continue her mundane studies during the vacations and leave the school after getting her basic degree at the end of the fifth year. We have an arrangement with the muggle government to provide secondary school degrees from a particular recognized school. You will find that it exists on paper only."

"Will no other magic school in Britain or elsewhere send their letters?"

"There is no other magic school in the world that teaches in British English. Hogwarts is currently the only magic school on Britain. About 10 years ago, we just came out of a civil war that had resulted in rather heavy casualties on our community. Those were rather dark times that till haunt us."

Both parents looked relaxed after that. Burbage now spoke "You were not surprised when your daughter could do those odd things? Some parents think their children are possessed."

"We didn't have any reason to. She was not possessed because those things happened only when she experienced strong emotions due to external reasons, she could recall everything. That's not possession. But why did that happen to our daughter? None of us could do those things, we are normal humans."

"Your daughter is not the only muggle-born child, a few are admitted every year at Hogwarts. As per the rules of our community, the children are contacted just after their eleventh birthday. That's the rule going on for a long time. Sorry that we cannot bend the rules ourselves." Burbage said, then gestured for McGonagall to take on the conversation.

"So, will you give your consent to your daughter attending the school? We will then tell about the school schedule, the fees, where to shop for supplies and deposit the money and how to get into the train from the hidden platform at Kings Cross station, as you live in Greater London area. You will meet all the other muggle-born admissions of this year; we do it on the same date annually."

"Will we be able to see the school for ourselves or visit her there?"

"Unfortunately, no, but you will see her. The summer holidays are on July and August, plus she can leave during the winter and Easter holidays. She can write to you, the school can allow one owl post per month, she can write as much as she can if she buys her own owl from our shopping street. If there is any emergency like sickness, she can be sent back to your home by our means."

Soon, McGonagall took out the parchments necessary to complete the paperwork, along with an ink bottle and quill. Demonstration of some magic would be done to impress the parents and the daughter.

Burbage spoke first in a light tone "You cannot mistake the train once you see it. The name Hogwarts Express is there at the front, plus no other train in the station is a steam engine in these days. Now, will Mr. and Mrs. Granger take the quill and sign your names on the proper places please?"

As usual, the parents had the very expected look on their faces. It was an exercise done with every first or the eldest muggle-born child, every year. Burbage smiled "You think of us as backward, right?"

Mrs. Granger said "Of course, it may sound rude but we do not use things like steam engines or quills anymore." The father nodded in agreement, their daughter looked at all four present in confusion.

"Actually, we do know that. Now, what is a steam engine? Simply put, where steam is made by burning coal, wood or oil to move the train, right? That's how muggle steam engines worked."

The three Grangers frowned, but nodded. Burbage now told the difference "For our case, the steam is produced by heating water with specific magic spells. We realized back in those times that we do not need any fuel to burn to produce the steam that runs the train."

Looking at the open mouths of the three, Burbage dipped the quill into the bottle of ink and said "Now, you two take the quill and sign your names on the right places. See what is different with it." She reached across and handed over the quill to Mr. Granger.

Few seconds later, Mr. Granger almost shouted with surprise "Hey, that's impossible. Both of us have written our full names and still it is writing! A quill cannot hold so much ink on its tip, it's…..magic?"

"You are absolutely right, Mr. Granger. The tip is getting the ink from the bottle by magic. If you touch the tip again on the ink surface, the flow will stop. Now, look at this." Burbage took out a thicker, deep gray quill. "It's a dicta-quill. Once you adjust the quill to your pronunciation and handwriting, it will write by your voice command only. There are also dark magic quills that use the blood of the writer."

"Interesting. Now, let's talk about the tuition fees and other charges of the school. We have absolutely no idea of the expenses and whether we can afford it." said Mr. Granger in wonder.

"You should be able to. A British middle or working class muggle family can afford the fees, plus there are provisions for special cases. Now you want the exact amount?"

The Grangers nodded in reply.

"That's a bit difficult. You would think in British pounds, we think in terms of our own currency, coins of gold and silver. The gold galleon is about five pounds to one coin, though the rate fluctuates a little every day. You can exchange your money at Gringotts for the wizard currency. We do it on a fixed date for the first years. Then you can do it yourselves every year. "

"What's Gringotts?" asked a curious Hermione.

"It's our bank, Miss Granger. Goblins run the bank." replied McGonagall.

"Goblins are real then?" asked the little girl in wonder. The conversation mentioned goblins because that was a mean to show some more magic and impress the muggles. Burbage pulled out a two-inch thick book from her bag and showed the cover to Hermione and her parents.

Hermione read the gold-lettered cover "Children's book of life- British edition? What's in it?"

"It shows the magical races of Britain of course. There is a broad classification of magical life-forms by the Ministry of magic- beings and beasts. I am showing a few of them to you now."

McGonagall rose from her chair. "Mr., Mrs. and Miss Granger, I should be leaving now, I have some paperwork to do. Mrs. Burbage may show you the picture book and come later. Now if you please excuse me, I will take my leave. Your daughter will see me at the school. Good day."

Hermione spoke in a curious voice "How will you travel Professor? On your own broomstick?"

Burbage replied in return "Miss Granger, there are multiple types of magical travel, a broomstick is just one of them. As you spend time in our world, you will know them all. Right now, Professor McGonagall will travel by a method called apparition. Your parents and some other adults may know of this method too, they call it teleportation or more recently, wormhole travel. It is shown in fantasy TV shows."

The open mouths of the Grangers were what she is seeing for quite some years, the muggles do react thus. To complete the effect, the Scottish professor vanished into thin air with a faint cracking sound.

Burbage flipped open the book in the table. The book was thick not because of the number of pages, but rather for the thickness of each page. She replied "The book is to teach children about the magical life-forms that exist in the British Isles. Muggle children may think of them as fantasy, but wizard children know that they are real, you just have to know where to look. Now, I am showing you some of the life-forms, your daughter may later learn how to flip the pages like me. Now look at this."

She touched her right hand at a particular spot of the open page. The Grangers had seen some sort of picture in the page, but now two moving people, about six inches long and made of light, appeared floating above the page. They were a man and a woman, wearing cloaks and pointed hats. "That's images of a wizard and a witch. We are actually humans, just with that extra called magic."

She flipped the page, now six more figures appeared surrounding the wizard and witch. She pointed at a couple that reached up to the waist of the humans. They did not look human, the fingers on the hand and feet were absurdly long, the ears were long and pointed plus the man had a pointed chin and long nose, the woman's were less prominent. "That's a male and female goblin. They have their own society and school, they keep to themselves. They run Gringotts, but are a race of warriors actually."

The other couple was of the same height of goblins, but differently built. The man had a thick brown beard, a barrel chest and broad shoulders. The ears were less pointed than goblins, and the digits on the limbs were three on hand, two on feet and much thicker than humans. The woman was not as strongly built, but not fickle either. "These are dwarves. You can see them in our pubs, though they live under the surface, in tunnels. They also keep mostly to themselves."

The third couple was much shorter than goblins and dwarves, hardly reaching past the knees of the wizard. They had rubbery pale pink skin, large round eyes and long flapping ears, were without any hair. Unlike the dress of the other two races which were proper clothes, they were dressed in shabby rags. "They are house elves, not very strong as beings. They live by binding themselves to the magic of big wizard dwellings like castles and manor houses and serve the resident families in return."

Burbage then flipped the pages again. "The page that you saw is called allied races, the next one is called conditionals. See it and you will understand why they are called thus." The shorter figures vanished around the two humans but four figures of about the same height as them appeared around the centre, though all were different. The fifth one was rather grotesque and large.

She pointed at the pale silvery figures of a man and a woman, wearing rather archaic dresses of the same colour. "They are ghosts, you know of them. They are simply human souls who are unable to accept death and are afraid to cross over. They attach themselves to certain places and live within its perimeters. They are tolerated as long as they do not possess living things and cause trouble. They can be exorcised and can disappear once they muster the courage to move on."

The finger then moved to the figure of a pale man wearing a black overcoat. As she pointed her finger, the man's lips changed to a rotten black form, fangs were visible and the coat changed to wide bat-like wings. "They are vampires, you have heard of them. A new vampire is created when another vampire bites him in a specific way. They are much stronger, faster and damage-resistant than humans, have a few magical abilities but have certain weaknesses, are sterile and immortal unless destroyed in a specific way. They are tolerated if they hunt in specific areas and do not target humans, wizards and other magical beings."

The next one was a man clad in a loincloth, who changed into a rather well-known being. "Yes, that's a werewolf, created only when bitten by another. They can live up to 150 years and are tolerated if they keep away from humans and hunt in specific areas during the full moon, so as to not alert the muggles. Else, they are humans for the remaining times and may have babies with partners. A magical draft has been developed to keep them from losing their minds during full moon."

She then pointed at the hideous humanoid figure with wings and a beastly face. "That's a gargoyle, they come in many shapes. They are statues made by wizards to live in a specified area and behave in a specific way. A creator must keep his ones in permitted areas. They have animation spells in them to move and act, though some dark wizards imprison souls in those for it- but it is illegal in modern laws."

Another flip of the pages, the old figures vanished and six new figures appeared surrounding the humans. Mr. Granger spoke "I understand why those were called conditionals. What are these ones called- part-humans or wild ones? Hell, even centaurs and mermaids are real then?"

The male centaur was bare bodied, but carrying a quiver and bow. The female centaur was smaller, with no facial hair and with longer hair, a garment made of bark covering its torso. The four "mermaids" had appearances in between humans and fish, without any clothes but it could be guessed that the males were the larger ones, each holding a spear and a trident in their hands respectively.

"Well, they are called both and you do know of them as mythical beings. Centaurs are found in Britain, small colonies reside at the edges of the enchanted forests; a herd of about 150 centaurs live on the outer edges of the forest besides our school. They can speak, but do not like other beings venturing into their territory and keep mostly to themselves unless threatened or trespassed repeatedly . The merrows and selkies live in underwater villages; they have great control over the element of water and are harmless unless messed with. They can domesticate other lower aquatic creatures and even let the humans visit their dwellings for short periods if you maintain proper relations with them."

Hermione asked "Which one is which? How are they different, professor?"

"These are merrows. They live in fresh water habitats and are of a single form, with the red spots on their head. Those are selkies, they live in salty waters and are bi-morphic in nature. They assume the forms of seals on their wish. Muggles of olden times got confused between the two."

Another flip of the pages and the picture changed again. The wizard and witch shrunk to a quarter of their original height, to be flanked by six huge, ugly figures. Three of them were surely men, larger than the women and carrying clubs. They were clad in what appeared to be hides of animals. Men wore loincloths around the waist, but the women had one-shoulder drapes.

"The grey ones are rock trolls, the green ones are forest trolls. They inhabit particular regions and though with limited intelligence, have sharp senses, along with great strength, stamina and resistance to magical and physical damage. They can self-heal damages done to their bodies with time and are smart enough to use clubs and even throw rocks. They may eat humans if they catch one, but you can easily avoid their habitat. Some of them vary in size and are domesticated sometimes by us, to train."

The trolls have legs rather like rhinoceros, with large hands, heavy jaws and narrow tapering heads, with round yellow eyes. They did not appear to have any hair anywhere on their bodies. Burbage now pointed at the other couple who were larger and more human in appearance.

"Those are giants, though the largest of them grow up to 25 feet tall. Even old muggle writers mentioned their colonies in places like Wales and Cornwall. Strong and brutal creatures, they are. No need to worry about them, they do not exist anymore in Britain. They joined on the other side during the last civil war and now all of them are either killed or banished into the mainland."

The giants looked human, but with very broad frames, wearing animal hides, a necklace of bones and with rather coarse and short hair. The female had longer hair, but rather woolly. The man carried a spiked club and they both had a rather savage look on their rough faces.

Burbage now shut the book with the images vanishing and then said "You have seen the first pages. If you want to see more, you can buy the book at our shopping street. Now, let me tell the next date and place of meeting to familiarize the group."

Hermione asked "Miss Burbage, will you please tell what are in the next pages, please?"

"Okay, I am telling the short version. There are images of pets like the phoenix, winged horses and more common ones though we call them familiars, pests like gnomes and doxys, large animals like griffins and unicorns, smaller ones like nifflers and murtlaps, dangerous ones like redcaps and grindylows, the two species of dragons native to the British isles and the local variant of the sea dragon seen in many regions of the world. Magical plants and fungi are not in this book because we study or grow them from an adult's perspective, in more details."

Some of the names sounded familiar to the Grangers, the father spoke "All those can be found in the British isles and we cannot see them? That's fantastic."

Burbage looked at the faces, though she saw similar reactions every year. She spoke in a calm voice "They are all found in Britain, I am not talking about the rest of the world. You can see all of them only when you know where to look. Sentient races do mostly avoid muggle places as per law, the rogue ones if any, are dealt with. Some stray animals are seen by muggles now and then, but our government erases their memories to keep it secret."

**(**_In the next chapter, Dursleys will agree. The son of the brightest and nicest mages will go to the best school of magic in earth, run by the greatest headmaster, the safest place in Britain where a brilliant defence professor has the brightest ever student turned greatest dark lord with him- I am quoting the canon only)_

**P.S- Is it really too much to request a review ?**


	8. Chapter 8: Uncle and aunt

DISCLAIMER- I don't own the creations of JK Rowling

Chapter 8- Uncle and Aunt

The morning after Hagrid left, the Dursleys and Harry drove back to the house. Things seemed to have changed a little between Harry and his relatives after the odd incident, that too for the better. When they came back, the house was clean too, with not a single letter or anything odd visible.

Vernon promised Harry a birthday gift - a pair of running shoes, Petunia did not object. Maybe it was much, much less than what Dudley got in his own birthday, but for Harry it was a gift nonetheless.

When Dudley asked about the tour to South Africa, Vernon sneered "Who will pay for it, eh? What you can see in South Africa can be seen in London zoo also. Will take you all on a weekend, so shut up."

The next morning, Harry had just finished breakfast. He would go to the library and try to look up books on a few topics. Petunia had told him to look up on the Nazis and the KKK if he wished, said that the wizard who killed his parents and his followers followed almost the same goals.

He himself aimed to look up books on witch-burnings in the medieval times, so that he would understand what those people did and maybe still do if they exist in secret - the real history and not children's books. He had a busy day ahead, so was just going to his room when he spotted something.

When they were driving back yesterday, Petunia had asked "Vernon, if they try again?"

Vernon had answered "You need not worry. After what you said, the boy will not go to that place, right Harry?" and his nephew had nodded silently in reply but the boy's habit changed since then.

Harry suddenly developed the tendency to glance at the stretch of the street visible from the windows, as if a wizard or witch would be coming, looking for him. He could identify them by their odd dressing habits. His anger had calmed down, so a few questions were forming in his mind too, mostly regarding the "headmaster" but he did not know where to look for answers and was feeling helpless.

He just glanced from the open window, hoping to see something odd and something was happening, though it was not unusual- yet. He continued looking at what he spotted.

A man was walking down the street, the person did not live in this place. He was glancing at the numbers on the houses. He stood for a few seconds in front of Mrs. Figg's house which had all doors and windows locked along with no cats visible today, then turned back. He spotted the number on the Dursleys house and walked straight to the door and rang the bell.

Petunia herself walked to the door and opened it. Vernon came out from the bathroom in the middle of a shave and stared too. The man smiled at Petunia and spoke "Good morning, Mrs. Dursley I assume? I am R.J Lupin and would like to talk to your nephew Harry. Oh, there he is."

Harry looked at the man with careful eyes. Lupin was tall and pale, with amber eyes, brown hair and a thin moustache. He was wearing a shabby brown trouser and a grey full-sleeve shirt. As soon as he spotted Harry inside the house, he smiled brightly at the boy, who retained a blank look.

Petunia was pale but spoke in a calm voice "You are from my sister's community, I assume? The boy you want to meet is a minor and you cannot talk to him in absence of a guardian and as I am busy at the moment, you have to wait." but before she could say anything else, Vernon strode over and laid a hand on his wife's shoulder, signaling her to stop while he himself spoke.

Meanwhile, Dudley had looked at Lupin, opened his eyes wide in terror and then ran out of the room as fast as his legs could carry him. Harry felt amused at this, but was too tense at the moment.

"Petunia dear, step back. You sir, you can talk to the boy in the living room, but he does not have much time, he will go somewhere. So, can you be quick about it?" his voice sounded amused somehow.

Lupin raised his eyebrows and said "You need not worry about your nephew, he knows me. So, can I come in and talk to him? It's important. I need to talk to both of you too."

Things happened too fast. Vernon asked Lupin to wait a moment, almost dragged Harry to the living room, made him sit on a sofa and whispered fast "One pound if you send this man away" then shouted "You can come in sir, this way" and almost ran out through another door.

Lupin entered through the door seconds later and sat down opposite Harry, smiling at him. Harry spoke first in a cold voice "You said that you know me, but I cannot remember where I have met you, sir."

Lupin smiled "Because you were too small then. I was a friend of your father and was classmate of your mother too. Your mother tried to make you call me "Uncle Moony" but at best, you could say Unca Moo. Have grown a lot since I last saw you and cannot tell you how happy I am now to see you."

Harry felt himself go a little soft, but felt cautious "You yourself said I was too small to remember, so is there any other proof, Mr. Lupin or Uncle Moony? School teaches children not to trust strangers."

Lupin stared at Harry for a moment and said "Oh, I should have known you attend a muggle school. I have brought a small gift for you; you can treat it as a proof. I should have brought a big birthday gift for you I know, but did not know what you would like, so thought about meeting you first. Happy birthday Harry, though I am one day late. Sorry about that."

Harry raised his eyebrows and said "You know of my birthday then?"

"Of course I know. You are the son of my friend James and also Lily; I loved you since you were a little baby and I owe you ten years of birthday gifts, so thought of starting with a small one you may like. I do not know whether you have seen any photos of your parents, have you?"

When Harry shook his head, Lupin took out a picture from his pocket and passed it to Harry. "Your parents had photos of their wedding; I have this photo- shot with their closest friends. You keep this, I made a copy and brought it only for you, Prongslet. Oh that was your nickname given by us."

Harry looked at the photo, it showed seven people. At the centre of it was a young man with raven hair, sideburns and spectacles, with hazel eyes- wearing a suit. On the right side of him, three men were standing in a row wearing formal dresses- a very handsome young man with long raven hair, a brown haired man who was a younger version of Lupin and a short rotund man with grey hair, watery eyes, a pointed nose and two prominent front teeth.

Clutching the left arm of the man was a woman in bridal gown and a crown of flowers adorning her head. She was a very pretty woman with long red hair and green eyes, smiling brightly at the camera. Standing at her left side was a woman with a round face and shoulder length black hair and another beautiful blond woman with round, grey eyes- all smiling with happiness.

First reaction was a mixture of happiness and surprise for Harry. He spoke in an even tone "It's moving!"

"It's a magic photo, Harry- it's supposed to move and change. You know about your parents I assume?"

Harry blinked his eyes, forced his eyes away from the photo and said in a voice of steel "Where are the others now? Where were you all these years, _Uncle Moony?"_ he was almost screaming by the end.

Lupin looked at Harry with a hurt look in his eyes, but spoke calmly "I know you would be angry, but you should know the full truth. Did your relatives tell you what happened to your parents?"

Harry formed an answer in his head, it was not a lie. "I know that a bad wizard killed my parents, then tried to kill me but failed. I am famous among wizards for this scar on my forehead."

"That's true, but not the answer. You may not know about Albus Dumbledore, but.."

Harry interrupted "I know. He is the headmaster of the school my parents studied in, right?"

"Yes, but he also holds other important positions in British wizard society. You know of this bad wizard, but we were really in midst of a war. After the death of your parents, Albus Dumbledore said that he had placed you somewhere safe. I and Pandora Lovegood, the blond woman in this photograph were the only ones who could contact you, we both asked Dumbledore but he refused to tell us. Nobody else in this photo was in a condition to see you by the end of the war."

Dumbledore! Harry again felt a mixture of rage and curiosity, but kept a blank face and let Lupin talk.

"Plus, Albus pointed out to me that I am not very suitable to take care of you- I am not well-off and suffer from a disease. Pandora too had her newborn daughter to take care of. After that, I got a job in North America and left Britain. I asked Albus every year, he assured me you are well. About Pandora, I heard she died in an accident three years ago. I came back a year ago and hoped to meet you on your eleventh birthday with your Hogwarts letter and even take you to buy your school things. He just contacted me yesterday and gave me your address, said you have received the letter; I should go and explain it to you and your relatives. I am really glad that he fulfilled my wish and I could meet you."

Harry sat dumbfounded. He found himself liking this man, but could he really trust Lupin enough to tell the man about what happened two days ago? Thankfully, Vernon and Petunia entered just then.

Vernon spoke first "I assume that you have come to talk about that school letter, sir? I am sorry to say that I am not interested to send him to that place. He himself is not keen to attend too, I may add" the last words had a tone of satisfaction attached to them, Harry noted. Petunia was nodding silently.

Lupin merely raised his eyebrows "So, both of you don't know why Harry has to attend the school compulsorily? Nobody told you the reason? Mrs. Dursley, you must have known, your sister attended there. I just hoped to simply explain to Harry and take him to buy his things."

Vernon had a red face with a vein throbbing in his neck but when he looked at his wife, he found a confused face, she was just shaking her head. He pulled his wife by the arm and sat down opposite Lupin, growling "All right, let's hear what you have to say, but be short about it. Not much time."

Lupin closed his eyes, took a deep breath and then began. "Firstly, Harry is a magical child. If he does not learn to control and use his magic after eleven, it will be dangerous for himself and everyone around him. He can prove dangerous to you and cause accidents to both living and non-living things."

Petunia replied "But he is not magical. He did not do anything freaky like my sister or that horrible boy."

"It's because a bind was placed on his core. As a child, he could do a lot of raw magic as I remember. It can cause trouble for adults. If he was living with you with his core free, he could have caused trouble and could prove dangerous if he had strong emotions. But that is possible only till the eleventh year, after that- well I said what would happen. You need not worry because underage children are not allowed to use magic at home for safety- you should know that, Mrs. Dursley. Maybe both of you understand the reason now?"

Vernon, still very red, asked "How much do I have to pay for his uh, studies then for all the years?"

"Not a single penny. His parents have left money for that. Once he begins school on September 1st this year, then he will come back to your place only for the summer holidays, two months each year. Once he reaches seventeen and thus comes of age, I may say it is during the middle of the summer holidays before his final year, he can leave on his own, to never return. That's a total of eleven months only."

Vernon's face changed colour faster than traffic lights. He suddenly had a huge smile plastered on his face and then almost barked at his wife "Petunia, where are our manners? Serve our guest something, what would you like sir- tea, beer or spirit? You boy, get dressed, you have to accompany this person."

Petunia looked skeptical and frowned "But, the headmaster said in the letter that the followers of that wizard are still there. They are not schoolchildren, but surely their children study there?" she looked at Harry and said in a strange voice "I don't wish him any harm; he is my sister's son."

"You need not worry, they don't have the foolish courage to harm your nephew with the leader gone. His address is and will be kept secret too, very few people will know. You all will be safe, rest assured."

Vernon was still smiling brightly when he spoke "I assume that he needs to buy his school things somewhere in London. I don't know where, but if you can tell the exact place, maybe I can drop the two of you there. It will save you the trouble of bus or train and even the Underground."

To Harry's surprise, Petunia and not Lupin replied "Of course, you can drop them there dear. The place is through a secret pub door near Leadenhall Market, frea.. I mean they can see the door without any help. She had to go to the place to buy her things, I went twice with her and our parents. If you drop them there Vernon, it is nice. Mr. Lupin, would you like some tea and biscuits?"

Vernon interrupted "But, don't they have to go to a bank to draw the money? Mr. Lupin?"

Petunia replied again "Don't worry Vernon. Their own bank is on the same street, right Mr. Lupin? Run by those nasty little creatures? See, I remember after all these years. Harry, get dressed fast. All right, I am going to the kitchen to make some tea for our guest."

Lupin said "Thank you both for your co-operation. Can I use the bathroom a little?"

When he entered the bathroom, nobody else would see him draw out a wooden stick and point it at the window, with a silvery streak of light shooting off somewhere.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Fifteen minutes later, Harry was seated in the backseat of Vernon's car, speeding away towards London. Lupin seemed to have a list of the necessary things with him. He wanted to talk to Lupin, but he did not know about what and the man was seated beside Vernon in the front seat, he had to show Vernon the proper place in the vast, bustling city as he remembered London.

Vernon was really in a good mood that morning, humming to himself. Lupin sat quietly at first, but soon found himself drawn into a conversation with Harry's cheerful uncle.

"So, where is that school of yours situated? Does he have to arrange his transport?"

"It is beside a lake in northern Scotland. There is transport arranged for the purpose, don't worry."

"Boarding school, right? How many days do the summer holidays last then?"

"For the months of July and August. Of course there are the winter holidays and the Ostara, those holidays are much shorter. If you miss the boy, he can come home during those holidays too but the school accommodates students if their guardians insist. What do you wish?"

"No, no, we must not look into our narrow wishes. After all, isn't it better for the boy to spend the maximum possible time amongst his own kind?" the last three words almost bored into Harry.

Lupin nodded quietly, but Vernon continued "Are there no other schools in the world further off that would take him? Maybe he will get a better education there, eh?"

"No other school in the world teaches in British English, he would have problems in following classes or interacting with his peers. Why would he not study in his home country?"

Vernon nodded and frowned, focusing on the road. After sometime, he spoke again "Hey, you can meet him during the summer. Take him on some sightseeing or introduce him to your family, huh?"

"That's a good suggestion, I will try that. However, as I am unmarried and live alone, no luck on family."

After that, Lupin agreed to Vernon's proposal that he himself would buy Harry a pair of running shoes, Lupin requested for the Dursley's phone number "in case of any emergency" and the journey was quiet afterwards. Vernon navigated through the streets of London, dropped the two of them where Lupin indicated and then drove away without a word towards the tower where his office was.

Harry was beside Lupin on the footpath and asked "Where is the secret door, Lupin uncle?" he was feeling nervous and curious at the same time. However, Lupin stayed standing and was surveying the crowds, as if looking for someone. He suddenly smiled at someone coming towards them, Harry followed his gaze too to see whom it was and had a feeling of déjà vu.

A woman was walking towards them through the crowds, eyes set on them. Lupin waved at the woman and she smiled and waved back in return. Harry had a strong feeling that he had seen this woman somewhere before, though he could not place where or when.

She was a very tall and good-looking woman, with pale skin and brown hair tied back in a ponytail. She was wearing an odd flowing dress. When she reached them, she spoke "Hey, isn't it Remus Lupin? Nice to see you after all these years. Hey, who is this young man with you? Is it.." her voice trailed off.

Lupin nodded "Yes, Mrs. Tonks. He is the son of James and Lily. Harry, this is Andromeda Tonks and she is actually an aunt of yours. Your grandmother Dorea and she, both are from the same ancient house."

Harry looked up at Andromeda and tried to greet her, but Andromeda simply wrapped her arms around him, wrapping him in a motherly hug. It suddenly felt very safe and comforting. She let go of Harry a few moments later and patted his cheek. They both smiled at each other, Harry feeling rather odd but good.

Lupin broke the silence "Harry, we have to buy your things. Maybe we can have our lunch together if you wish, but we have to get going. Tonks, you came for shopping?"

Harry asked the earlier question "So, where is that secret door? You are coming too, aunt?"

Lupin replied "Not now. I will teach you to use a form of magic transport, the floo network. Just opposite to the pub is a floo station, we have to go to a hospital named Gringotts for your health check-up. Maybe we can meet your aunt to have lunch together. Both of us have a lot to talk to you Harry."

_Next chapter- Harry will meet his parents._


	9. Chapter 9: meet the parents

DISCLAIMER- I don't own the creations of JK Rowling

_ Cassandra & Mizzrazz- you will soon get the answers_

_This was written by many writers, I am just adding my own version_

Chapter 9- What they saw

Goblin healer Sharpeye, looking rather imposing in his flowing white cloak and pointed white beard looked at the tall witch who entered the room and bowed to him in greeting "May you continue to be successful in your work as always and keep your reputation, healer Sharpeye."

He smiled at the respectful greeting and replied "May you continue to prosper in life, Madam Tonks. Let me then come to the point, you had come to our healers five years ago and here I am to fulfill the promise of the Goblin nation. The core of the boy would stabilize at this age, earliest we could perform the operation. You have got what I recommended then, the blood anchor?"

"I myself can be the anchor; I am related to the boy. On your recommendation, I also volunteer to be the love anchor. So, can we take preparation for the ritual and begin it?"

"Is your feeling of love genuine for the boy? Else, the love anchor will not work, it will be a weaker bind."

"I assure you that the feeling is genuine. What do I have to do to on my part begin the ritual?"

"It is very simple. You will be directed to a bathroom, you have to bathe yourself and clean your body using the cleaning paste left there. After that, you will not wear any sewn cloth but draped ones, with a necklace of amulets. If you cannot drape the dress yourself, one of our female goblins will help you."

Fifteen minutes later, Andromeda came out of the bathing area draped in the white cloth, assisted by female goblin Ruby. Sharpeye looked at her and nodded "Good. Now you have to drink this potion that will calm your mind. Then, we can proceed to the ritual room and begin the task."

They walked through the tunnels to the ritual room- a domed chamber with walls of polished rock, with enough sigils and runes etched in stone on the floor and the surrounding pillars. It would take a lot of study to understand what they mean, not to mention what spells were anchored.

Sharpeye gestured to the floor- Harry was already lying there on a selected spot, in a deep sleep. The boy was not wearing anything except an amulet and a white sheet draped round his waist like a towel; his head was resting on a makeshift pillow of coarse wool. Sharpeye pointed to another pillow, kept above Harry's head. If any person kept the head there, it would form a straight line with Harry.

"You lie down there madam, then try to feel motherly affection for the boy. Soon, you will feel as if your heart is being pulled by strings, but do not panic. I will handle the rest. Go and lie down."

Andromeda did as she was instructed, soon her face became blank and her eyes took on a glazed look. Sharpeye looked at her in satisfaction and nodded to Ruby and another male goblin, they nodded in return. The experienced goblin healer then took out his athame dagger and felt pride.

He knew what abomination was residing in the boy's scar, he had experience with it when he was working in Egypt under his superiors then, he was now the best Gringotts had to offer.

It can be got rid of, but there were a series of procedures and parameters to be met beforehand if it is to be done properly. He would do it now and live up to his reputation.

The preliminary steps were already done. The boy had a healthy body, so could tolerate the stress and the nervous shocks, plus had some mental strength- it would come in useful and make it safer. The blood and heart anchor, be it the same person, would keep the boy's own soul bound to the earthly plane, not letting it go easily under certain spells. All had gone properly.

He walked around the room, touching specific spots with his dagger. The symbols glowed and activated, creating a ward that the abomination will not be able to escape out of. He then touched the amulets that were in the necks of the five beings present in the room, activating the spells so that the thing would not be able to possess anybody once it left the host. He would take no chances.

He then looked at the boy and the woman who volunteered to be his anchor, pointing his dagger and muttering an incantation. Some symbols on the floor glowed and then, two slivery strands of light proceeded from the head and chest of Andromeda and entered into Harry's body on the same places. A soft glow of light soon wrapped the two of them in a cocoon.

The place and lives were warded off, the boy was anchored. Now the actual process can be started. He pointed his dagger at the boy's scar and began to mutter a complex incantation. The lightning-shaped scar began to glow a dull red, a thin black tendril of smoky thing began to rise out of it and began to point in all directions, as if looking for something.

The abomination, a split soul could be destroyed only when the anchor or host itself is destroyed. The boy's head was the current host and the most simple and brutal method is to behead the boy and then smash the head using a reductor curse on the bones. The other humane way was to transfer the thing to another suitable host, living or inanimate and then destroy it using suitable means.

The abomination was looking for another host, sensing danger in its old one. Sharpeye looked at the other goblin, who nodded and used the latter's own athame to levitate a chalice of platinum, containing a durability charm, towards the tendril. When the chalice touched the abomination, it sensed the good quality of a probable new host and became thicker as it tried to leave the old anchor.

The boy began jerking and would have risen to the air, but the sticking charm held his body firmly in place. Now, the dark soul was between two hosts, the old and the new. Sharpeye now touched a specific rune with his dagger, it and the tip began to glow red. It was a heating rune.

When the scar would be gently scraped with a hot metallic instrument, the abomination would sense damage being done to its earlier host/ anchor and have no confusion, it would seek refuge in the new, safer and better anchor. The other way to damage the scar was by using basilisk venom, but the poison could diffuse into the flesh and cause damage to tissues, so it was ruled out. The scar would be damaged, but the boy would live, with the injury to be healed with time and potions.

When Sharpeye was satisfied that the dagger tip was hot enough, he went towards the boy, ready to scrape the scar, but something strange happened. The smoky filament suddenly began to rise out of the scar, completely into the platinum chalice. It was soon completely transferred to the chalice, leaving a raw wound on the place of the scar.

The boy and his anchor, both were breathing normally- that was good news. His mind noted what was to be done- the chalice was to be kept somewhere safe and the wound has to be treated. After that, the spells have to be removed and both restored to normal consciousness.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Harry was having an odd time. When he was shown how to travel using the floo station, he had gone to the venue named Gringotts in seconds, to find Lupin arriving moments later. Lupin quickly led him to a huge room filled with many people and from there, a short odd-looking humanoid (but definitely not human) person who was a goblin as said by Lupin guided him to a smaller room.

He was told to bathe, using a special paste as soap and then come out wearing the towel. He was then given two different-coloured and odd-tasting liquids to drink. He had no reason to trust the strange-looking goblins but Lupin was there, the man told him it was vital for his health check up. He then remembered drowsiness overcoming him and falling off into a deep sleep.

He awoke suddenly. He could not make out where he was for a few moments, but soon made out what was happening to him. He was stuck from his waist into some kind of mud and something sticky was clinging to the right side of his face and also wrapped around him like a snake, it was very irritating- that was the first thought.

In a surge of irritation, he tried to pull the thing away from his face but with no result. He then tried to use both hands and his full strength, the thing pulled only a little away from his face and was now sticking to his hands. Suddenly, help came out of somewhere right at the very moment.

He could suddenly sense two persons appearing and then they began to pull the thing away from him. He felt relief and looked at the irritating thing and was stunned at what it was. It was like a serpent which he felt was wrapped around his body. The two people pulled the creature further away from him.

He suddenly saw that it was not a snake. The body was like a serpent, but where the face would be, was a human skull with red eyes and a beastly expression. He could not know how long it was, parts of it was below the mud, like his pelvic region and legs. When it was dragged away by his mysterious helpers, it snarled one last time and fell through the mud, vanishing from the place.

It was then that he turned his attention towards his helpers. Seeing their faces, he was shell-shocked, he now knew who they were. He then looked all around the place, it was even more shocking. He felt a mixture of joy and sadness as he seemed to realize where he was.

The place was like so large that he could not sense if he was inside a room or outside in the open. A mist was present that cannot let the eyes see for a long distance, the mist was glowing with a soft white light. He could not feel heat or cold, but something else- too much silence and peace. He looked at his waist, it was stuck in some kind of marble floor but that too seemed to glow with the soft white light.

As he looked at James and Lily, he was dumbfounded. He did not know what to say to them, he never thought of meeting them. He knew by now that the dead never came back so felt really stupid.

He grinned stupidly at his smiling parents and said "So, this is heaven? Pull me up, this place really feels good. If you two are here, I don't need anything else. Come on, pull me up, I am stuck at the floor."

Both James and Lily smiled and then knelt down on the floor in front of him. James was just smiling, but tears were falling down Lily's face, her smile was even brighter. They placed a hand on his each shoulder and held both his hands with the spare hands. It was the touch he always craved for secretly.

James spoke first "Son, this is not heaven but the way. Why should you come here, your time has not come yet. You will come only when you will live a long life as every parent wishes of their child. You have to go back, but both of us have so much to tell you, but we cannot. Time is short."

"What was that thing which was wrapped around me?" asked a curious Harry.

Lily made a sobbing sound and spoke "Don't worry Harry, it is gone and will not bother you again, even when you go back. You will go back, then study and work hard, be happy, have good relations and live a long happy life- I don't wish anything more as a mother. When the monster killed me, I was pregnant with your sister. Her soul was not attached too much yet and could thus easily move on."

James looked at his wife and said in a comforting voice "Dear, the boy has to know something more before he goes back. Someone is holding him as anchor; it will be stressful for her. Be quick."

Lily spoke again "Harry, you will soon meet a man, he was my childhood friend. You will tell him that I am happy that he realized his mistake. Also, tell him that I know that he can teach you everything that you need to know, or tell you where to learn. He may not appear kind to you at first sight, but I know that he actually loves you. If he cares for you, he will teach you. Ah, I am at peace by telling you all."

James spoke now "My son, I have something to tell. You are a Potter, remember that. You may not understand what I mean right now, but will get it in future as you know more. So, I think you have to fall back now, you know all. Maybe you are thinking of this as a dream, no? It's real."

Lily suddenly blurted out "Harry, you will meet my friend's children at Hogwarts. One is in your year, the other will join next year. Try to be friendly with them. I have nothing else to say. Goodbye, my son. Be happy. Remember that we always watched over you from here. " She gently stroked his head and then let go of the hand she was holding.

Harry suddenly screamed "Wait, what about Mr. Lupin?" as he felt a sudden downward pull.

James said "He is just a good boy with a little problem. Go back and continue living your life. We are not as selfish to pull you up to have you now. We have told you everything that we should in this small time. Goodbye, my son." He then let go of the other hand and the downward pull increased.

Harry yelled "Don't worry, I will try my best." Seconds later, he fell through the floor, into pitch blackness and back to deep sleep.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Later that day, goblin king Ragnuk the sixteenth sent for healer Sharpeye at his own private room. When the aged healer entered, he just bowed and asked the aged healer to take a seat and have a glass of ale.

"So, how much did you charge for the healing, my good man?" asked the king.

"Nominal, my king. I just charged for the cleaning herbs, the tainted cup is with us. Actually, Albus Dumbledore should be the one paying for his criminal actions, but both you and the wizards told me to be silent. I kept quiet because of this, I don't understand politics. Thankfully the magical core of the boy was bound, else it would have fed on it and grown stronger over years."

"I have just one order for you, keep silent. You recommend destroying the tainted object?"

"Not now. There could be a maximum of seven such objects, we must gather them all and destroy those at the same time, else the main soul would sense and the person will be alerted. I believe it bears the aura of Tom M Riddle, it's too obvious anyway. Both parties- three of us in the room and the involved wizards have taken an oath of confidentiality in the chamber, my king. "

"So that explains why the Chief Warlock claimed the dark one will return later? He did not bother to explain anything to not only us, but even their ministry as far as I know. None of the wand carriers have approached us with any request regarding our concerns."

"Yes, I am quite certain. There is no need to inform the wizard ministry anything for now. The boy need not know anything about it now, but we actually did something good to him, not just vacant claims."

Ragnuk nodded, then dismissed the healer and was deep in thought. Could the dark wizard or his followers have kept a similar object within the vaults of Gringotts? He would start a secret search.

Ragnuk never liked the old wizard with a long beard. Whenever he approached the man about any concerns for the nation, he always got the reply "Issues will be considered with utmost sympathy" and then, nothing more. Now he found that the little boy, heir to an old house, was left like this by the same Dumbledore- what sort of man is he? Not someone reliable at best, a criminal at worst. He should have known or even sensed something when he saw the boy, he had publicly claimed to know where the boy was but did not tell anything more to the press.

When the self-styled dark lord appeared on the scene twenty-one years ago, Ragnuk had followed a path of neutrality, wizard civil war was of no concern to the goblins. However, when the man massacred the small colony near Nottingham, his views changed- this wizard was worse and would pay for it. However, he would prefer to stab from the back rather than open confrontation.


	10. Chapter 10: magical world

DISCLAIMER- I don't own the creations of JK Rowling

A/N- _Lily did not tell the names because she hoped Harry will easily find out Neville and Luna._

_Will return to the storyline in next chapter, but hope you like this one_. _When reading this chapter, keep in mind that it's fictional._

Chapter 10- World of magic

Lupin dialed the telephone number and talked with Petunia. He told her that Harry's magical core has been unbound; the boy is weak because of the exhaustion and will return the next day after buying his school supplies, he will take care of Harry for the night. The woman had said "All right." and then put down the receiver without saying anything more.

He lived in an apartment called the London Magimansion, a housing project under the ministry to accommodate the poorer sections of wizard society. Muggles can see the place, it is in a suburb of London but don't know about the nature of its residents, nor see the sign. The ground floor had some common facilities, including a pub, muggle telephone and a floo station. He obtained a suite of rooms when he showed that he had no criminal records and had signed a bond that he would lock himself up or be absent during the full moon nights.

Then, he went back to his apartment. Harry was fast asleep in the bedroom out of exhaustion, it was actually bolted from outside for now. He himself smiled at Severus Snape waiting in the living space and the two wizards had a glass of lager each and began to talk, second time after Lupin was summoned by Dumbledore. The first meeting had taken place in the dungeon, at Snape's office. The headmaster had not doubted anything fishy, after all Lupin was in the same year as his pet potions master and was not Severus's arch enemy like the other two of his group in school.

Lupin started the conversation "I really cannot thank you enough, after what you did for James's son. And the way you did it, it was so, so.." his voice trailed off as he was at a loss for words.

Snape lifted an eyebrow and completed "Slytherin of me? I did it because he is Lily's son, she became your friend too after fifth year as I recall. If it was only the son of James, I would not have bothered to find him, right? Actually, I had to find a way round the headmaster's nose, I told you that."

"You still hate James and Sirius after all these years?"

"I don't care about James; he is now dead for nearly ten years. I must admit that I was surprised when Lily began to go out with him but she was happy and he became much less of a spoilt brat, so I didn't mind- one does hope a childhood friend-cum-sister to be happy. I hate Sirius now, but you know the reason and I expect the same for you."

Lupin looked down and shook his head "I couldn't believe you at first, but after you showed me the Pensieve memory, I was shocked. He placed the boy there, had a spy and what was that woman doing? I smelled that house before I came to Number Four, it smelled too much of cats as you said- the woman must be still living there, I smelt a human too. I don't respect that man anymore, thanks to you. I was a fool to have faith in him. Actually, he was not really a great leader of the Order, performance speaks for itself. Thanks for opening my eyes."

"I disliked him more and more over years, as I observed him. If he expects Gryffindor-ish hero worship or Hufflepuff-style loyalty from me, he is mistaken. Anyway, the boy is to attend Hogwarts, I have to give him detentions in front of everybody. The old coot would not doubt then why I am spending much time with the boy, but no other way to bluff him under his long nose. I have no other way. Maybe the boy will be in the red house, just like his parents and you. "

Remus changed the topic "You hit the two adults at weak spots, but I must say that casting compulsion charms over a full class of children to bash the gang of four was daring, but brilliant."

A cold, hard voice answered "You must know that I hate bullies. Maybe I should leave now. The boy must not see or know of me yet. You bought the special gift for him that I recommended?"

"Yes. Severus, listen please. I am not justifying it, nor saying that you totally forget the past after all these years. I just want to say that you don't know the full truth. Those two were at the front when bullying you, but most of the nasty pranks were thought out by Peter, believe me. They got carried away as idiot teenagers, sometimes me too. He even did spying for the two. You know how the poor boy met his end?"

"I have my own doubts regarding it. Peter going out alone to confront someone? In school, he always stayed behind his three other friends at all times, I have not forgotten that."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When Harry woke up, he slowly tried to understand where he was. He found that he was wearing a bathing robe, lying in a simple but comfortable bed, with a table lamp on a small table nearby. He found his own clothes folded in a neat pile on the table. This felt very much real, not like where he was last time.

He went out of the room on bare feet, it was actually a small apartment. He found Lupin outside, the man said it belonged to him. He said Harry had been really exhausted when the checkup was done and his "magical core" was now unbound. Lupin had chosen to carry the boy to his place for the night.

He talked with Lupin for the rest of the evening, it was already afternoon when he woke up- he checked that in a clock. Harry would buy his things and return to his relatives the next day, Lupin told him that Petunia has been informed on the phone. He was liking Lupin, but not trusting him fully. That meant not telling anything about Hagrid or his own concerns regarding the headmaster.

He had a mild sensation in his forehead- where the scar was and when he looked in a mirror, he found a sticking plaster was covering it. He asked Lupin about his parents and learnt that Lily really was two months pregnant with a girl when she was killed. He asked about what was wrong with the health check-up, Lupin shrugged it off and said that it was just a malevolent spirit which was residing within his body, such things do happen now and then. Regarding his scar, he was told that muggle medicine could not treat a magical scar; it was now attended to by the goblin healers and will heal.

He once peeked out of the windows; Lupin told that it was nested in a London suburb, all the occupants were wizards. He found a collection of photos hung on a wall, one showed a little Lupin with the man's parents, the other were a mixture of school years and beyond- he found his parents in a few of them. Else, the man seemed to have some furniture, a wardrobe and some leather-bound books only.

Lupin did not have a proper kitchen, but he told Harry that there was a pub at the bottom of the building; he brought a mug of hot chocolate and a platter of cookies for Harry. He gradually felt happy, he never knew that he could talk so much with his father's school friend and for the first time in his life, he found someone carefully listening to his questions and answering them.

When he asked about the strange red jersey that James was wearing while holding a broomstick in the school pictures, he asked about it and learnt of the sport of quidditch, James played in the house team of the school. Lupin told him about other wizard games like exploding snap, magic chess, gobstones, etc. but quidditch was the most popular one in the magical world globally, he learnt. Harry was not bothered about the rules of any of them yet, he had too many other questions.

Lupin also told about the Isle Quidditch League, popular among wizards. There are fifteen teams in the British Isles, there is an annual league. The winter time is off season, and then the stadiums are used as venues for fairs, there are various attractions including cinema, the one thing that wizards seem to lack.

He asked Lupin if the latter could tell the names of the two children his mother had asked to meet. Lupin could not tell the names, but mentioned the surnames Longbottom and Lovegood. He asked about his mother's childhood friend, but Lupin said that he did not know anything about it.

He asked about who had killed his parents, he thus learnt of the name Lord Voldemort, though it sounded a French made-up to him, the man was British. He learnt that the name is still not spoken by wizards out of fear, the man is referred to indirectly by the magical population.

Then talks turned toward school and Harry understood the titles of the headmaster. Harry already had a curiosity towards Dumbledore; he soon learnt that apart from being headmaster of Hogwarts, the man held two more official posts that made him a politician and he was also advisor to the current Minister of magic. Harry had often heard his uncle saying that politicians are perpetual liars, was it the same in the wizarding world- he wondered. A headmaster of a school flaunting his political titles in a school letter addressed to children and their parents at most, it sounded unusual to him.

He asked that whether Lupin was given the address by the headmaster, the answer was interesting. Apparently, a type of magic called a tracking charm can locate a person anywhere on earth- but it was put only in certain conditions. Harry now could guess how he was tracked on the coast.

The talk then turned to the Ministry of Magic. Lupin told that it was the government of magical races in Britain, though wizards feature prominently. The building was located underground somewhere in the Whitehall region of London. It began with an atrium in the top, various departments in the lower levels and finally the "pit of mysteries' at the bottom, where masked magicals work at the very borderline regions of magic, though Harry did not understand that concept well.

Harry asked about the exact location of Hogwarts, the result was Lupin saying that it was un-plottable and teaching him magic geography, which he barely grasped. Apparently, he learnt that the globe that he was shown at school was not correct- there were 11 "planes" of earth wrapped around each other and muggles know of only one. Lupin then tried to explain how un-plottable lands are like "filaments of various sizes sticking out of each of the 11 main threads of the earth" and some even wrap around the "filaments" of the other planes. There are natural and even magic-made filaments. Harry's head was spinning by the end of it but he could only faintly grasp it.

He tried to ask how much un-plottable lands are there, Lupin said that the various magical governments keep record of them. He asked about the other 'planes' of the earth, he heard that it is "classified information" kept by the Department of Mysteries, along with International Co-operation on it.

He then asked about whatever "magical" is present in Britain, the answer was very interesting. Lupin answered "There is Diagon Alley in Leadenhall, the Ministry in Whitehall, St. Mungos hospital for magical and mundane maladies, the British Museum of Magic, the Magic Zoo, Botanical garden and a few more points like theatre and port-key zones. Hogwarts School is in the north. There are enchanted forests, sacred places as well as private properties like residences, potion sheds, greenhouses, etc. spread in many places across Britain. We keep some liaison with the muggle government."

"Are there other magical schools in the world if not in Britain?" asked a curious Harry.

"Wizards are present throughout the world, I cannot tell you all since I don't know. I know a little of the schools in Europe and can tell you about the situation in North America since I stayed there."

"How many schools of magic are there in Europe then?"

"The five major ones in mainland Europe are Beauxbatons Academy in France, Durmstrang Institute in Scandinavia, Mageia Parthenon in west Greece, Volkhvy School in Russia and Yagga Memorial Academy across regions north of Greece. You may feel curious when hearing the word "across" but it is actually a mobile structure that floats in the sky, particularly hugging the Carpathians. Muggles cannot see that."

"And there are more schools called minor ones too?" asked a curious Harry.

"There are more, I cannot recall all of them. There are smaller schools- in Ireland, the Basque region of Spain, one in the Ardennes region that teaches only in Dutch and the Diana Witches' School in Italy. The German-speaking wizards are total paranoids who refuse to tell anything about their schooling system. They are the most secretive in Europe, but keeping in mind that witch hunts were most rampant in that area they cannot really be blamed ."

"What about the schools in North America? Is there a witches-only school in Salem?"

Lupin laughed "Who told you that? If you read even muggle records, you will find that there were 4 men, 15 women and a dog hanged after the trials. You may later try to find who were labeled witches when you grow old, when our people decided to live in secrecy, you will read it in History too."

"So, how many magic schools are there in North America?"

"The situation there is a little complicated, though Ilvermorny was the earliest one set up by arriving Europeans. There is the magical government called MACUSA, they have a Board of education that annually hold exams in all magical subjects for three different levels. They hold both theory and practical exams, then provide blood certificates and grade cards at the end. They do not care for the age of the candidate or the institute, even home-schooling and private tutoring is overlooked by them. I know of the top, did not care to find out the bottom. They may register separately, but I did not bother to check."

Lupin then told him that the former had bought a book for Harry. He had purchased it back in the US. It was a small encyclopedia that provided a general overview of all magical subjects and magical life in general; he had wanted to gift it to Harry. Harry replied that he would love the book. Then he learnt that Andromeda had left some money with Lupin to buy Harry a birthday gift. Then, Lupin said that he had purchased another gift that made the little boy very curious.

It was an amulet, with a circular disk adorned with a complex design. Lupin told that it would protect the wearer from Legilimency, which was the magical term for mind reading. If Harry wore that thing and avoided eye contact with any grown wizard, nobody could read his mind. Lupin told him that if one is fully trained in the art of erecting mental shields, then such a protection is not necessary; Harry could sense anyone trying to enter his mind and block out the person or even show him false images. The boy liked the gift, but did not know if such a thing was necessary but Lupin told him to wear it.

Later, Lupin went out again, to bring a large sandwich for Harry as dinner. Harry took it and then went to sleep for the night. He tried to go through the pile of information Lupin told him and also fondly remembered the meeting with his parents. He did not know when he had drifted off to sleep.

Next morning, he was shaken awake by Lupin. He was told that a bowl of porridge and strawberry was waiting for him, he had to quickly bathe and change. After that, they would again use the floo station below to travel to Diagon Alley to buy the school things.


	11. Chapter 11: Shopping

DISCLAIMER- I don't own the creations of JK Rowling

_Will Harry meet his future wife today? _

Chapter 11- Diagon Alley

The travel via floo station was now known to Harry. There was a large arched structure where a full-grown adult can stand straight; one had to throw a pinch of glittering powder and then shout the name of the destination. If green flames spring up, then the connection is established correctly. He shouted "The Leaky Cauldron" and then stepped into the green flames seconds later.

The sensation was like being sucked inside a giant sewer, with faint glimpses of other floo stations fleeting by. Yesterday, it had taken almost a moment to travel, today it was taking longer. He kept stiff and when his feet found solid ground, he moved forwards a few steps. He was at the floo station of the Leaky Cauldron, where an apparition spot and a cupboard for storing flying brooms were also present. Lupin appeared almost at the same time and led Harry out of the small room.

Harry was amazed just like yesterday. The transport point was in the street opposite to the Leaky Cauldron, in a small alleyway with a gas lamp that nobody in the bustling crowd around seemed to notice. In fact, Harry would have missed it too if Lupin and Tonks had not pointed it out to him. He and Lupin crossed the road and suddenly he could see a small door sandwiched between a large bookstore and a record shop, with a faint silvery shimmering sign of a smoking cauldron painted on it.

When he stepped inside, he was surprised at the rather large pub that lay on the other side. There were dozens of wooden tables and benches, with a row of private booths too. People dressed in odd clothes like cloaks and formals, with pointed or in short hats, i.e. people who seem to recognize Harry by his scar were sitting all around eating and drinking, reading newspapers and books, or murmuring in low voices. Bright sunlight was coming from the windows on one side, it was lighting up the whole pub.

Lupin went towards a bar, where a bald man was standing. He simply waved at the man and then stepped into a courtyard beyond. There was nothing more than a brick wall, a trash can and a few weeds there. Lupin smiled at Harry, then touched three spots at the wall. The bricks seemed to move, then dissolved away to form a huge archway, beyond which lay a crowded shopping street.

The scene was fantastic. There were witches and wizards wandering all around, there were a multitude of shops selling a range of fascinating things. He tried to look at the shops, all the signs, but it was too much and Lupin was moving rapidly. He asked "Where are we going to stop first?"

"At the wizard bank Gringotts. Your money is there, you have to get some of it first, no?"

"But the place is a hospital as you and aunt Tonks said yesterday."

"It is basically a goblin colony, the largest in Britain. They run the bank, have a hospital, have their residences and other utilities within it. You will see it from outside today, it looks great."

A few more steps and then they reached a circular patch of green. It was barricaded by hedges, had a few iron benches and had a fountain at the centre. Four roads seemed to go to four directions, but Lupin pointed at what lay just beyond. It was a large marble dome about two stories in height, a stenciled sign in capitals denoting the name "GRINGOTTS WIZARDING BANK" was slowly revolving around. They came near and saw a pair of semicircular entrances on the side they came from. Lupin went towards the door marked "Entrance". A goblin was standing there, dressed in chainmail and helmet, carrying a halberd. He reached up to Harry's chest and beyond him was a translucent glass door, with something written on it. The goblin bowed to the duo and opened the door. Harry tried to read what was, but Lupin pulled him in saying "It just says that try to steal from here, you'll regret it."

They descended down a flight of stairs and Harry immediately recognized the vast room down, it was where he had come yesterday. Today, he saw more of it. There were rows of counters, almost a hundred goblins dressed in formal clothes were busy in their jobs, there were many people waiting to be served, standing in queues. One side had too many doors to count; more goblins were showing people in and out of the doors. One busy impressive bank, thought little Harry. He also noticed the goblins now, they were short but had everything too long- fingers, nose, chin and had sharp canines.

Lupin talked to a free goblin "Good Morning. Young Mr. Potter here wants to make a withdrawal from his account. Hopefully your establishment will comply with his wish."

The goblin looked at Harry for a moment, then said "Sure, you would like to talk to Griphook? He has been in charge of the Potter accounts since the last heir was alive."

When Harry met the goblin, he was a middle-aged one with graying hair. He summoned Harry and Lupin to his own office and told them that Harry could access only his educational trust fund till he turns seventeen. He gave Harry a blood quill and asked him to write his own name in a parchment, then proclaimed him to be the son of James Potter and Lily Evans. Then he gave Harry a ring and told him it is a key to his vault. They had a thrilling ride down stone tunnels with torches lighting up the wall and when they reached the vault, Harry touched the door with his ring to open it and was gob smacked to see the handsome pile of gold coins that he owned but took Lupins' advice on how much to withdraw.

Harry was impressed with the service. Griphook gave him one extendable weightless pouch, he was amazed by what magic can do- it would store a lot of coins and not have much weight. He was also given a small book that would record the financial transactions over time. Finally, Griphook bowed them out.

Lupin then led Harry back to the small patch of green and began consulting the booklist. Harry looked at the signpost pointing to 4 different directions. Lupin first spoke "You should begin with the clothes and trunk shops. They are made according to your specifications and then you collect them later. Let's go."

"Will you please explain what do these 4 signs point to? What are the 4 alleys for?"

"All right. This sign points towards Diagon Alley, you have seen what it is. This one as you can see is Serve Alley, you will find it very boring at your age. This houses the magical service sector as you can say- Gringotts, Gringotts Central, The Magical Business Association and the Post Office are specific ones. Else there are law and accountancy firms, the wizard stock market, a window for wizards to invest in muggle economy, places where you can book tours to magical places globally and get port-keys, businesses that can set up specific protective wards around places and exterminate magical pest infestations, I do not know everything else present there. But you had to go to the Post Office now and send a letter to Hogwarts, telling the Depute that you have accepted the offer. Don't worry, I did that yesterday when you were having the health check-up."

Harry thought that it did sound boring and asked "Okay, now what is Diplomatic Alley for?" the road was off-limits by an impressive iron gate, with the sign stenciled on the gate too. The gate was closed; nobody was seen near it, unlike the crowd that was visible in Diagon and Serve Alleys.

"It houses the diplomatic missions by the other magical governments of the world, at least what the British Ministry maintains relations with, just like the muggle government. You cannot enter the place unless you have been issued invitations by someone living there. The British Ministry can force in when some emergency condition arises, else the place is off-limits."

"That leaves Nocturne Alley. The name itself suggests something related to the night, no?"

"Actually it is related to dark magic objects and shady people. The entrance can show you places to hire servants or place bets, but you will see other shops. They may sell unusual pets, dangerous objects, some shops don't keep a sign but you can guess what it sells and there are certain shops with blank windows but have customers. One shop sells hunting cloaks to vampires. If you can see a person's face, that can be a disguise. I would advise you to forget about the place till you get older, Harry."

That sounded interesting, but now they had to shop. First, they went to the trunk shop and he was fascinated by the customizations available, apart from the colour and internal compartments. Magical trunks could hold much more inside than outside, cancel or reduce the effect of gravity, can have legs to walk about following recognized voice commands- all had different add-on costs. Harry settled for a simple lock, three compartments, a double-space expansion charm and asked to make it weightless.

Next they went for the school uniform at a shop named Madam Malkin's. Again Harry was impressed by the magical qualities that can be added to cloths- simple, colour-changing, multi-mode, changeable as per customer wishes and magical features carried their own costs too. Lupin asked Harry to get the measurements, while he himself would buy the telescope and potion kit in the meantime.

A middle-aged woman approached Harry and asked "Beginning Hogwarts, dear?"

When he nodded, she continued "Let's start with your winter cloak. Another young lady is getting fitted with hers too right now. Lucy, take this lad and start with the cloak section."

When Harry went to the room and was standing on a stool, the assistant took a length of cloak and began to pin it to the proper length. In another stool, stood what seemed a porcelain doll with light blue eyes and honey-blond hair pulled back with a simple black hair-band but Harry noticed that it was blinking, so she was human, a girl. The face was strangely like a statue, devoid of any expression.

He felt brave, tried to strike a conversation and said "Hi, Hogwarts too?"

The girl frowned at him for a moment and then replied in a dignified voice "Good day to you, sir. Yes, I am beginning my studies at Hogwarts School this year."

Harry felt the reply was odd, but the girl now seemed to look at his clothes and raised an eyebrow, then asked in the same voice "Muggle-born, I assume?"

He mumbled for a reply but decided to speak the truth "Er, no, I am not. My parents were a wizard and a witch as far as I know."

She frowned again "May I know your name please?" and by that time her measurements were done; the sales girl aiding her helped her to step down from the school.

Harry tried to speak confidently "My name is Harry Potter."

The girl's eyes went wide for a moment, but she again frowned; then resumed her blank expression. She however bowed to him and then said "Pleased to meet you. I am Daphne, maiden of the house of Greengrass. Maybe we will meet again at school, but we may not be in the same house. Have a nice day, Mr. Potter." She then strode out of the room before Harry could say anything.

Harry's mind had an odd sensation. The girl was nothing like anybody he had seen before, but why was that bothering him? However, he shook the thought off his head and went on to give the measurements of his shirt and trousers, then bought other things like caps and waited for Lupin.

When Lupin guided him to the wand shop, "Ollivander's wand-crafting and service", he was again impressed. Mr. Ollivander was a supposed master wand-crafter of Britain and made wands suited to his customers, but there were shops in Nocturne Alley that sold readymade cheap wands. When he entered the shop, he was surprised that the silver-haired man had a thick glass-encased book made of parchment pages that seemed to understand his words and soon, details of his parent's wands appeared on the open page even as their names were spoken.

The wand making process was rather amusing to Harry. Apparently, a wand had three parts- the wood, core and handle. Ollivander measured Harry's hand and a wooden handle appeared on the table, a perfect match for Harry's grip. It was the easiest part of the three, Harry learnt.

He was then led to the back of the shop. Outside, he found a small forest full of trees in an open space. Ollivander asked him to close his eyes and walk a few steps on the dirt track. Within seconds, Harry felt a faint pull within him, turned his face towards the direction and opened his eyes. He was staring at one of the trees, Ollivander simply said "Elm wood then" and ushered him inside.

Ollivander suddenly made three glass boxes appear on the table. One had a long feather with red and gold streaks, another had a strand of fine hair seemingly made of sliver and another had a string that seemed to reflect the light of the room. He asked Harry to touch each of them; the feather glowed automatically when touched while others remained the same.

"You have an affinity for phoenix feather Mr. Potter. Interesting, people who bond with this type of core have both the wish and capacity to develop themselves. Now, I have to be more specific."

Moments later, the three boxes vanished and several phoenix feathers appeared on the table. Harry was asked to simply place his hand a little above the table and close his eyes. Soon, one of the feathers flew to his hand and every strand of it glowed. Ollivander then produced a block of wood out of nowhere and asked Harry to place the feather on it. He then looked at the wood for a moment, then picked up all- the handle, the feather and the wood and vanished through a door, to reappear five minutes later.

"Phoenix father and elm wood, fourteen and half inches- that's the perfect match for you. Take it Mr. Potter and give it a single wave to confirm that it has suited you. Then I will give you a proper wand holster for your wand, made of dragon-hide leather."

Harry had just taken the wand in his grip when it hummed strongly. He gave it a wave, bright sparks shot out of it with a crackling sound. The wooden stick suddenly felt part of him for some reason.

Ollivander then brought out a wand holster for him and muttered to the book, as if updating records. He frowned at the writing formed on the page and then muttered "Why, it's very curious indeed."

Both Harry and Lupin asked the reason, the answer was disturbing to Harry and was ringing out in his ears even when he went out of the shop. Lupin, however did not seem disturbed after a short while.

"Mr. Potter, my family always created the best quality wands from phoenix feather, unicorn mane and dragon heartstring. Every wand core is unique, just as each one of these magnificent creatures is unique. Now, a feather from the same phoenix was used only once, in my father's time. The owner is the person who gave you that scar. Same core and length, but made of yew- very powerful in the hands of the wielder. It's the wielder's choice to do right or wrong. We must expect you to be a great wizard; after all He who must not be named was a terrible wizard but a great one indeed."

Lupin guided Harry to an ice-cream parlor in the Alley and asked him to choose from the menu card. He chose vanilla with chocolate topping, but was still worried. Lupin noticed him and said "Still worried, Harry? Why can you not see the simple fact that the wood that suited the two of you is different? That does mean that the two of you have different natures as far as I know. "

Harry suddenly felt better. He could not yet trust Lupin fully but suddenly felt an urge to talk of the girl he met in the robe shop. When Lupin heard it all, he shrugged it off "She was just being formal with you; it seems that she is well trained in wizard etiquette."

"And the school house she was referring to?"

"The school has four houses; students are sorted into them when they attend the school. They are named after the four founders. It often runs in families, your parents were in Gryffindor, as well as I. Slytherin house is the most infamous one. It had turned out many wizards and witches who went bad, that Lord himself and many of his followers in recent times belonged to that house."

Harry gulped, but now focused on the ice-cream, which was very good. After that, he visited the book store and then wanted to spend a long time on it, but Lupin advised against it. "Let's get your school books now, Harry. If you read that extra book that I have given you, then you will learn more about magic and know what to look for. Else, it is like moving through a dense forest at night. Let's place the order for the entire first-year list, but I have to show you something you may like. Else, you will be totally lost. Come this way with me, I have something to show you."

They proceeded to the children's section and Harry was surprised beyond his wits when he found a gallery of comics bearing his name. He rummaged through a few, apart from the moving pictures; those showed him hazel-eyed, the colour of James's eyes and doing things that he never did. His scar was showed prominently, he absent-mindedly touched the bandage on his forehead.

Next, they visited the trunk and robe shops, those were ready by now. Lupin then took him to Eyelops Owl Emporium and ten minutes later, they left the shop carrying a tawny owl within a cage, supposedly with the money left by Andromeda. Lupin told him that species native to Britain does not stand out, snowy owls are pretty but not local and raise doubts for observers. Harry wanted to thank his aunt while Lupin told him the difference between ordinary and magical owls. Magic owls are used by wizards to deliver letters, they have been used for a long time.

Magical owls may look like ordinary owls, but they understood human speech far better and have an amazing sense of direction. The most unique feature was that they can sense magical signatures and if they know the magical core of a person, they can find that person anywhere on earth, though it takes more time with distance. Other birds are also used for same purpose sometimes.

They stopped for some time at the Leaky Cauldron, the place seemed to serve good food. Harry had a good lunch with Lupin, then felt heavy hearted when he realized that he had to go back to Privet Drive. Lupin then handed him an envelope that contained a ticket for the Hogwarts Express that departs on September first, then took him to the alleyway opposite the pub again and taught him how to get back.

"I am now showing you how to summon a Knight Bus. They are a fleet of buses that ply throughout Britain, transport for the stranded magical. The total number is a tiny fraction of the number of muggle buses, but you can go anywhere on Britain. The bus will directly take you or contact another bus to continue your journey. Surrey will take just one bus from here, Hogwarts a few more. Stick your back to the wall and point your wand upward like this, be careful the first time."

A minute later, Harry had several questions in his mind. How did the huge Purple Knight Bus fit into the small alleyway when summoned? It was also absurdly fast and how could the muggles not see it in full daylight while it gave no consideration to lane and speed? He held on to his seat firmly, else it would have been a nightmarish experience.

_-Review please-_


	12. Chapter 12: Journey part 1

DISCLAIMER- I don't own the creations of JK Rowling

_-Hedwig is a name, she is a white phoenix in some stories. An arctic species in Britain is bound to be noticed at some point._

_\- this chapter was getting too long, so I split it._

Chapter 12- Journey I

Harry had less than a month to live with his relatives before his new life began. It was like his earlier one, help with chores but he read his new school books, which had some moving pictures. The books and the extra one from Lupin taught him from different angles and depth. He remembered Lupin's warning that his magical core is now unlocked, he must avoid feeling strong emotions. He named his owl; she seemed to understand his speech very well and went out at night to hunt mice. But small changes were visible, apart from Dudley avoiding him altogether and him meeting the Dursleys only at mealtimes.

He was de-registered from Stonewall High; he had a few general friends but none specific, so he did not miss them that much. The plaster from his forehead fell off a few days later, leaving behind a much fainter scar. He decided to change his messy hairstyle and comb it properly. He had square glasses, not the round ones that were shown in the comics- he tried to look different.

Vernon proved himself to be a man of his word. He took the whole family, Harry included, for a trip to the zoo. Harry had promised that he would not try to talk to snakes at the reptile house in public, so it was a normal trip. When returning, they stopped at a small restaurant named Belgian Bites and Harry enjoyed the food there, even though he was given a third of what Dudley got.

Soon, another thing happened in the house that Harry found himself liking- the Dursleys stopped speaking to each other. Vernon was returning home early one afternoon and he had spotted Dudley and his gang smoking in a copse outside Little Whinging. Later, it was really amusing to see Vernon charge like an angry bull at his son and yelling at Petunia that she knows more useless things about her neighbours than her own son. Dudley was confined to the house and when he threw his computer out of the window, Vernon firmly told that he would not buy Dudley another. To the horror of Dudley, Petunia also screeched at him to stop tantrums or else rumors would spread through the street.

Finally, the last day of August arrived. Harry decided to approach his uncle in the evening to talk about the journey to King's Cross. When he went downstairs, he found Vernon watching television and Petunia knitting, both silent. Dudley was nowhere to be seen, he was probably in his own room.

Harry called out to Vernon; his uncle muted the television and turned silently at him. Petunia also stopped knitting and looked at him, but did not say anything. He then said what he wanted to.

"Uncle Vernon, I need to board the train from Kings Cross tomorrow to go to Hogwarts tomorrow. The train departs at 11 o' clock. Can you drop me at the station tomorrow?"

Vernon raised his eyebrows in surprise "That's an odd way to go to a wizard's school- a train. Mildred Hubble used to fly on her own broomstick to school, just like all the other students."

He caught Petunia staring sharply at him and mumbled "I mean, Marge used to read those books, not me." Then he turned at Harry "Where exactly in Scotland is this school situated?"

"I don't know. I just know that I have to catch the train from Platform Nine and three quarters."

Vernon almost yelled "What! There is no such platform at Kings Cross, I am sure of it, boy."

Harry felt lost at Vernon's reply. Petunia was, however, frowning, as if she was trying to remember something. She broke the awkward silence and said "Well, there could be a hidden platform there."

Seeing the surprised faces of her husband and nephew, she continued firmly "Yes, I am right. We used to live in the midlands when I was small. I remember now, she used to catch that train from a hidden platform at Stoke-on-Trent Central. An entrance through what seems a solid wall to normal people."

Harry had seen the ticket- the train starts its journey from King's Cross in London, stops at Stoke-on-Trent Central and Waverly, before finally coming to halt at a station named Hogsmeade. He did not know what to say, he could not ask Petunia to go to the midlands and show him the platform there. Then Vernon spoke again, giving a solution to Harry.

"All right, there is a freak platform at Kings Cross station- none of our business. Boy, I will drop you at the station; you will surely find someone to help you from your own type. That's your concern."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Next morning, Harry woke up and felt a jolt of excitement. Though he still felt badly about the "headmaster", he was going to a place that he belonged to- his parents had studied there too. He went to the bathroom, gave a last check of his packed trunk and the cage, then dressed up quickly in plain clothes- the uniform would seem too formal, people would notice the pointed hat. He looked at himself in the mirror, the scar was now even fainter, and anybody has to look rather sharply to notice it.

When he went downstairs after hearing his uncle's voice, he was stunned to see a full English breakfast waiting for him- complete with pancakes, eggs, black and white pudding. He wondered if it was a gift from his uncle and aunt for getting rid of him for ten months, that too for free but did not say anything and ate it all- all was good and he did not know when he would eat next time.

They started for London, Harry felt rather odd when Petunia told him to be careful at the last moment. Vernon reached Kings Cross with less than twenty minutes to spare. He asked Harry whether the boy needed help with loading the trunk on a trolley, but Harry declined- the weightless charm was working properly. However, Vernon accompanied him inside the station and pointed at the platforms.

"There is number nine, there is ten. So that platform would be somewhere in between, right? Look out for someone your type, surely he or she will help you. Have a good term, good luck." He gave Harry a pat on the shoulder, then walked away without looking back. The boy suddenly felt a jolt of panic, being alone in such a large platform crawling with people, all seeming normal at first glance.

The clock now showed that the train would leave in fifteen minutes. He looked around, there were no oddly dressed people around, nor could he see anything unusual in between the two platforms. He could not ask the guard, he knew that it would sound plain ridiculous- most muggles are ignorant of the wizard world. He also did not dare ask about any train to Scotland, there could not be just a single one. His panic increased- Lupin must have forgotten something to tell him, about getting to the hidden platform. Where was the hidden entrance?

At that moment, a small crowd of people passed him and he heard a woman's voice talking rather loudly "…crawling with muggles, the entire platform..". He turned around and saw a middle-aged plump woman along with four tall boys pushing trunks and a small girl- all ginger heads. One of them was carrying a caged owl too- that left little doubt about who they were.

"Now, what is the platform number?" asked the woman, hardly a yard or two from Harry. For some reason, that felt very odd to Harry, though he could not identify the exact cause. He stayed quiet.

"Nine and three quarters" said the small girl, "Mum, can I go.."

"You are staying with me, Ginny. Percy, you go first." At that word, what seemed the eldest boy carrying the caged owl began to run towards the barrier. At that moment, a crowd of commuters obscured the boy from view and when the crowd cleared, he was nowhere to be seen. That's interesting!

A severe voice now said to what happened to be twins "You two, go now, one after another. Do not try to act smart here in front of your sister or else I will.."

She was speaking to twin boys, but one of them interrupted "Don't worry mom, you never understood we had brains. Finally, we are going back to the place where.."

The other twin took on "..people always appreciate our talent. Drag 'ickle Ronniekins along, mom. Ginny, we are just on the other side and waiting, so…"

"..don't begin crying for us right now." finished the first.

The twins smirked and then began to run towards the barrier one after the other. Suddenly, both vanished somehow. The woman then said "Ron, you will go now." She then turned towards the place where Harry was standing, only to find it empty. She turned just in time to see the boy pushing his trolley and vanishing through the barrier, not asking for any direction.

Harry did not feel that he needed any help. He was always independent; life with the Dursleys made him that. When he recalled Petunia telling about the invisible entrance that may exist and noticing the twins vanishing, it was enough for him. Not only that, his instinct was telling him that something was wrong with the woman, though he could not tell the exact reasons yet.

He passed through what seemed like solid wall and found himself in a platform, with a single train with a scarlet steam engine labeled "Hogwarts Express" standing- he had made it. He looked at the platform, which had a large clock- a little more than ten minutes left. He ignored the twins staring back at the barrier and wheeled his trolley further into the platform, looking at the scene.

There was a large crowd, many wizards and witches were there to bid goodbye to their children. there were people standing in groups, some were talking to their children, the first few compartments were already full. There were owls in cages, cats of all colors prowling about but something else caught Harry's attention. It was a simple thing- a paper and magazine stall, on which the Daily Prophet- the wizard newspaper was displayed, along with a few other publications.

The front page of the paper showed his picture, or what was shown in the comics in his name. It showed him with round glasses, hazel eyes and the prominent red scar in the centre of his forehead, while it was actually above his right eyebrow. There was a rather large headline "Will The Boy Who Lived appear on Hogwarts today?" He wanted to buy the newspaper but decided against it, it would be useless. He once thought that he could have requested Petunia to use her make-up box to cover the scar, but it was rather faint to be easily noticed now.

He had actually looked at the headline for a few seconds. He then glanced at the entrance to the platform to see if the odd woman had made it through with the remaining two children. What he now saw actually made his doubts stronger; in fact it hit him like a sledgehammer.

The woman was staring at him with an expression on her face that clearly meant disappointment. He knew that look- when Prince had taught him to avoid Dudley's gang years ago, his cousin would come home with that expression on his face. He tried to mingle into the crowds, but the woman now was talking to her youngest son by bringing her lips close to his ear, the boy was nodding- what was so secret? Three of her other children were standing with her too, looking blank.

Harry dragged his trunk towards the last compartment, which was totally empty. He sat down in one of the cubicles, closed his eyes and then the facts arranged in his brain. Why was the woman telling about the platform number, apart from being standing too close near Harry- was it co-incidence? Her three elder sons were at Hogwarts, she should have been in the platform just two months ago, besides many times before. Or does the platform move about? Even then, why was she asking that from the little girl? Then that look of disappointment, as if she had expected Harry to ask her for directions? It didn't seem right at all to him.

He looked out of the window, his eyes seeking the red heads. The woman was now talking to all of her sons, the girl holding on to her side. The eldest spectacled boy strode into view, he had already changed into his uniform. She tried to rub the youngest son's nose clear of dirt, then looked very stern as she began to talk to the twins, then normally to her other two sons. The scene went on for some time, when suddenly a loud whistle was heard. The woman again brought her mouth near the youngest son's ear and again said something, before ushering the boys all into the train. The girl began to cry, but she smiled too and began to wave at the train as it began to move out. A normal family scene, _but I am somehow the abnormal one here_, thought Harry.

He was quite sure that the youngest redhead would come and try to talk to him. He first decided to shut the compartment door in the face the moment the boy would turn up, but remembered something else. He mentally thanked Prince, even though the man had met him five years ago. Else, it would have been something that he would not have noticed. Who was this woman?

As he fondly recalled the meetings with Prince, kindled by the expression on the woman's face, one of the man's sayings was suddenly vivid in Harry's mind. Prince had as usual given him some sweets and while sitting in the park, said "Today I am telling you something that will come useful later in life though it may sound difficult now, Harry. If you feel that someone is your enemy, you should never let him know that you know. Act as if you are a fool, pretend you know nothing, behave nicely with that person and smile at him. You should learn to lie, hide what you know or can do and try to stab an enemy in the back when alone rather than in the chest, in front of everybody. Maybe you will understand what I mean later, but not now. But believe me, one day you have to understand."

Though the words did not make much sense then, Harry had listened with rapt attention. After all, Prince was the first person to show him any kindness, though he never knew where that man lived or why he seemed to care for Harry. Today, some of the words were making sense in this situation. He smiled to himself, put his trunk under the seat and his owl cage on the rack, then stared out of the window. He now noted that the journey was a rather long one, so what would he do for the time? He looked out of the window; London with its many buildings and vehicles was now flitting past.

_Invisible alley, then door to pub, then buses, now a whole invisible train. Magic is amazing_.

Soon, his guess proved right. The door of the compartment opened a short time later and the very person that Harry was expecting to see was standing in the doorway alone, with a friendly smile pasted on the lips. _Let it begin then, let's see how it ends._

The boy was tall and gangly, with flaming red hair, long nose and a lot of freckles. On closer inspection, it was clearly visible that he was wearing worn-out clothes and shoes, besides dragging a rather battered trunk behind him. He must be from a poor family- thought Harry at first look.

"Hello, can I sit there?" asked the boy, pointing at the seat opposite Harry, "everywhere else is full."

For one second, Harry felt like kicking the boy out of the compartment, yelling "Get lost." The next moment, he felt that the better option was to let him sit and then strangle him by the throat "Now, tell me everything. Who is that woman, your mother? What did she tell you?"

What would he do now?

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	13. Chapter 13:Journey 2

DISCLAIMER- I don't own the creations of JK Rowling

_I just pointed out what was wrong with the whole thing_.

Chapter 13- Journey Part 2

As Harry just stared at the boy, the fallacy of the ginger-head's saying was too evident to him. He replied in an even voice while maintaining eye contact "If everywhere else is full, then you have no seat left for you, no? You have to sit here only, or remain standing if I refuse."

_So, are extra coaches added to the train at the other platform, or it magically expands or this boy is simply lying? I may be able to find out if I use my brain. _

As the boy grinned stupidly, Harry pointed to the seat opposite himself "Sit. I don't own the train."

The boy thanked Harry and sat down opposite him. He then tried to speak in a friendly voice "So, are you a first year to attend Hogwarts? I am a first year too."

For a moment, Harry tried to say that allowing a seat does not mean getting permission to chatter, but decided against it and nodded silently. After all, a lie was forming in his head; he wanted to see the reaction of the boy when he would use it. The chance came immediately.

"Hi, I am Ronald Weasley, you can call me Ron. What is your name, mate?" said the ginger-head and extended his hand towards Harry in a welcoming manner.

Harry took Ron's hand and shook it briefly. _As if I am going to tell you, Ronald_. He smiled and spoke out the name that he had made up "It's Piers Polkiss, glad to meet you." The look of confusion on Ron's face was priceless, but suddenly footsteps were heard outside the door.

The door opened and three boys entered the cubicle. One was pale, with grey eyes and platinum blond hair, clutching a newspaper in his hand. He was flanked by two boys- one had curly brown hair, broad shoulders, square jaws and a height too tall for his age. The other boy was of the same height as the blond, but three times as broad, with bristly black hair and small, cold eyes. They reminded Harry of Dudley's gang, but looked like bodyguards to the pale boy.

The pale boy looked at the newspaper he was carrying, then at Harry. He then spoke in a drawling voice "No, you are not Harry Potter. The scar is missing and eye colour is different. Am I right?"

Harry looked at this new intrusion and fumbled for an answer. Searching for him by a sketch in a newspaper, let him try. He stupidly mumbled "Who is Harry Potter?"

The boy's lips curled to a smile "If you don't know who he is, then there is only one reason. You are muggle-born, right?" seeing Harry nod stupidly, the boy continued "Well, I have just one thing to say to all muggle-born children, and I am going to say it only once. What is your name, kid?"

Harry mumbled "Piers Polkiss." But now, the redhead spoke in an angry voice "Who are you, eh? What do you three want to do with Harry Potter if you find him on the train?"

The blond looked at Ron and then smirked "You should know me if you are to attend Hogwarts. I am Draco, scion of the house of Malfoy. No need to know you. You are freckles, red hair and throw away clothes, in short- a Weasley. Good to sit with a muggle-born, that's what you deserve."

The boy blushed as red as his hair, but he yelled "Get out of this place right now."

The brown-haired suddenly turned at Draco and spoke "Boss, I put this boy to size, eh?"

The blond snapped "Don't do anything unless I tell you to, Crabbe. Listen to one thing, Polka. We are pureblood wizard family, hence are better than you. Stay out of our way, you will be safe. For you weasel, your family lives in a hovel and you can mix with riffraff, suitable for you. Show respect to me and don't stand in my path in future. My first and last words to both of you. Come on boys; let's not waste any more time in this company."

With a smirk, Draco Malfoy left the cubicle with his bodyguards. Ron was very red and angry, but now he sat down quietly, attacking the three was not a wise choice. Harry did not know what to do after the event, but he stayed quiet- it is not a reason to be friends with a suspicious boy- who was now looking out of the window with a blank look on his face, no interest remaining.

Harry suddenly knew a way to test whether the boy is lying or not. He smiled at Ron and said "Hey, have you seen where the washroom is? I have to relieve myself. No? Okay, let me find out."

He checked that his trunk was properly chained to the seat, the key in his pocket, smiled at a paling Ron with red ears and went out. There was a washroom at each end of the compartments and he saw that quite a few cubicles were empty in the compartment. Sure enough, he returned a little later to find what he expected- the redhead missing along with his own trunk.

The train continued its journey north. Harry looked at the neat fields, cottages and hedgerows, with cows and sheep grazing, it was a treat to watch. He felt bored sometime later and thought of bringing out a book to read, but now the train was approaching a town and slowing down. The second stop.

Sure enough, the train entered a platform and came to a stop. Harry tried to look at the platform from where his mother supposedly boarded the train, but nothing was remarkable except for the wizard families waiting with their children. When the train stopped, a great bustle followed soon.

Foot-steps were heard outside the door and now two dusky girls with long black braided hair, most likely twins, were seen with their trunks. Both were wearing their Hogwarts uniform. One of them pointed at the seat opposite Harry and said "Good afternoon. Mind if we sit there?"

Harry stared for a moment at the two faces. Both had a neutral expression, no trace of anything hostile or suspiciously friendly. He nodded silently and looked out of the window. Soon, the train was again moving, continuing its journey north. The twin girls ignored Harry and were soon talking amongst themselves in low voices, in a language that he did not understand.

The door was soon opened again. A middle-aged smiling woman pushing a trolley was seen there, she asked "Anything of the lunch trolley, dears?" The twin girls settled for over-large lollipops, but Harry felt a pang of hunger, it was a long time since he had eaten breakfast and he had some wizard money too for spending, so went outside in the corridor to see what the trolley had on offer.

He asked the witch what she had, decided against the ham sandwich and two-flavour pasty (pork and apple from two ends) and decided for something he had not seen before- a cauldron cake and a box of Bertie Bott's Beans. Then he went back to his seat and tried to eat what he bought- they were delicious. The twins glanced once at him but kept to themselves as before.

A little later, footsteps were heard again, the door opened and two people were seen. One was a girl with buck teeth and bushy hair and the other was a tearful round-faced boy- his face resulted in a sense of déjà vu to Harry. The girl spoke first in a bossy voice before Harry could react.

"Excuse me, has anybody seen a toad? Neville has lost his."

The three occupants shook their heads, but Harry suddenly found himself speaking "Hey, are you two searching the entire train for a toad? Why don't you ask some senior student for some magical help?"

Both of them stared at Harry for a few seconds, then the girl spoke first "Thank you for your suggestion. Neville, let's go to the prefect compartment at the front and ask for some help." Both of them vanished and Harry cursed himself silently. Was it the same boy that his mother asked him to be friends with? After all, the round face was almost a replica to his mother's friend.

After some time, the two returned again. The boy was now smiling, with a toad held in his left hand. The girl was with him too, she spoke to Harry in the same voice "May we know your name please? Neville wants to thank you for your help, Mr…?"

Harry replied "Neville has told his name only and I do not know your name yet, Miss..?"

The boy replied first with a faint smile "I am Neville Longbottom." and held out his hand.

Harry shook the outstretched hand "I am Harry Potter, glad to meet you." But the two of them were suddenly looking at him with a stunned expression and a quick glance at the twins told Harry that they had the same reaction too on hearing his name.

Neville smiled nervously, the bushy haired girl now stretched out her hand too "I am Hermione Granger, glad to meet you. I have read about you of course, in one of the extra books I purchased for reading. Are these two girls sitting with you your friends?"

Both the twins suddenly had embarrassed looks on their faces, one of them suddenly spoke "We were just sharing seats; we did not know his name. Hello Harry, I am Padma Patil and this is my sister Parvati. We too have heard about you of course, you are quite famous. Glad to meet you."

Harry said "Hey, why don't we sit down and talk a little to know each other? It's a long journey."

Both Hermione and Neville sat down. For the first time, Harry noticed that Hermione had a book tucked under her left armpit, he pointed and asked "What are you carrying, Hermione?"

She blushed a little and said "Oh, it is one of the extra books I have bought at the bookstore when I was shopping for Hogwarts. I am muggle-born you see, so after I got the letter and the professors visited house and finally when my family was shown the way to Diagon Alley, I thought I need extra information to catch up, so bought the extra books apart from the school books I am learning by heart. You are mentioned in another book- The rise and fall of dark forces in twentieth century Europe."

She showed Harry the book cover, he just read the title- "_Are muggles really unaware of the magical world? From medieval bestiaries to the backwoods of North America, from fae sightings in Britain to the elves of Iceland and much more" _but he had questions running in his mind.

"Hermione, did Hogwarts teachers visit you when you got the letter as you said?"

"Of course, the Depute and the muggle studies teacher. They said that each year they visit all the muggle-born children and explain the letter, plus why we need to learn to control our magic. Then, a few days later Mrs. Burbage, I mean the muggle studies teacher and a man from the Ministry of Magic showed all the muggle-born students and their families how to get to Diagon Alley and exchange muggle money at the bank. All of us became friends there, we were waiting for some to get on the train from the second station. Then Neville came along and I wanted to help him and explore the train at the same time. I am really excited to get to Hogwarts, imagine only one magic school in whole of Britain and I will learn to use a real magic wand there. Of course, you and Neville must have wizard guardians and know a lot of magic. What about you two?"

Harry decided to stay silent about his guardians or his own experience with the Hogwarts letter, but Padma was already speaking "Of course we knew about Hogwarts but we are the first of our family to attend the school. Our mother got her magical education at home, but dad studied at Bhangarh Jadu Ashram, the magical school in western India. In fact, our parents preferred to buy our wands from a crafter back in India, plus they are worried if we could follow lessons in English. Also, they learnt incantations in Sanskrit, Hogwarts uses mostly Latin."

Hermione frowned "Mr. Ollivander is a master wand crafter as I heard. I had one from dragon heart-string suitable. Your wand core is made up of? "

"My wand core is a feather from a huma, Parvati's wand has a heart-string of a gandaberunda."

Hermione frowned again "Are they magical creatures from India? I bought another book too, on what magical animals are found in the British Isles. These names are new to me."

"The creature known as phoenix in Europe is actually a fire phoenix. Huma is the air phoenix. As for gandaberunda, well, it is a two-headed bird. Anyway, I am excited to attend Hogwarts. Dad's school had theory classes in day and practicals at night. Muggles cannot see the actual school; it is on a hilltop close to a fort." Padma suddenly giggled "The resident ghosts of the place roam around at night, and the wizards have an arrangement with the muggle government to keep away muggles during night. The school teaches battle magic besides other subjects. Of course if you read Indian epics from a wizard's viewpoint, they are full of descriptions of battle magic. That subject is not taught at Hogwarts, there's defense against dark arts and no teacher stays for long."

Harry suddenly asked "Does India have any magical games as in Britain? There are a few here, I learnt about them a short time ago. I haven't seen any of them played yet."

Parvati frowned this time "You don't know? India has its own quidditch team and they have played against the British a couple of times. Of course, when it comes to Indian muggles, cricket is the most popular sport in that case."

Harry still kept silent about his upbringing or his guardians, but had thought of a way to obtain information and said with a smile "Who will explain the game to our Hermione? Or you have already read an extra book you bought and know all of it?"

Hermione stuck out her tongue at Harry much to the amusement of the other three, but Neville volunteered and explained the game in a detailed manner.

"So, the quaffle is used to score the goals, ten points. The snitch is released half an hour later and catching it ends the game, awarding fifty bonus points to that side. There are one keeper, two beaters and four chasers-cum-seekers from each side. Releasing the snitch early may result in the game ending too soon. The positions of chaser and seeker used to be different and the snitch awarded 150 points, but there was a flaw in the system. Once it was found, everybody followed it and rules were changed."

Hermione raised her eyebrows in curiosity but Parvati giggled and continued "Whoever found it was a genius, I forgot the name and date. Simply put, the beaters were engaged to constantly target the seeker while all the three chasers and the seeker searched for the snitch."

Harry found himself agreeing with Parvati. The talk then briefly turned to the houses, it mostly ran in families. Maybe he would be sorted to Gryffindor but he wanted to be away from that redhead, out of doubt. The train stopped once at Waverley and then continued north, darkness was slowly falling. Harry looked out of the window and noticed one thing- the neat fields have vanished, the countryside outside is wild and very beautiful at the same time.

The other three continued to explain the other magical games to Hermione, she listened with rapt attention and Harry silently digested the information too. Much time passed this way, till it became very dark and lamps were switched on in the compartments.

Hermione suggested the boys to change to their school uniform, they agreed. Harry went to the restroom to change. He admired his reflection in the mirror; he did look like a young wizard. He made his way back to the cubicle when a loud voice was heard throughout the train "Five minutes left to reach Hogsmeade. Please collect the duplicate sticking tokens from the shelves above and attach one part to your luggage so that those can be tracked. Keep the other part with you. Luggage will be carried to school separately, leave them on the compartments."

Harry watched as the train finally slowed down and stopped at a dark platform. As he got down from the train, he admired the amazing scene on the platform- the area was pitch dark, but white glowing balls of light were floating in midair, illuminating the entire premises. The platform was crowded with hundreds of students, all in their Hogwarts uniform. He tried to stick close to the twins and tried to track Hermione and Neville, who had earlier gone back to their seats. What would he do now?

As if to answer his question, the same gamekeeper appeared on the platform, beckoning the first years. The man was towering over the heads of other students and when Harry found the eyes scanning the crowd, he quickly tried to hide behind some of the taller students. Then the first years followed Hagrid down a dirt track, the floating balls following the students and banishing the darkness. Beyond the path, everything was pitch black, no sign of any houses.

They soon reached a harbor. As the small boats were full of students, five on each but Hagrid alone on one, a single verbal command from the man resulted in the boats moving by themselves.

The boats sailed over the smooth dark waters of the lake and on the other side, there was an imposing castle perched on top of a cliff. Light shone out from its many windows and the sight was really awesome. The floating balls were accompanying the students as before, over the surface of the water.

The boats reached what seemed to be solid stone, but a large hole appeared on the surface as the boats came near. The boats finally reached a small underground harbor, where torches flared up on the walls.

Hagrid's voice boomed "Everyone off the boats?" then receiving a chorus yes, he knocked on the huge oak door with his gigantic right hand.

_Jadu ashram- magical boarding. Muggles are not allowed near the Bhangarh fort at night in real life too_.

_Review please_


	14. Chapter 14: Sorting

DISCLAIMER- I don't own the creations of JK Rowling

_I have read stories where Harry is sorted as apprentice, champion and headmaster but only one house would help him to see through the manipulator. _

_Reminder, my AU Dumbledore is played by Michael Gambon._

Chapter 14- Sorting

Today is the day Lily's son will step inside the castle. As I sit at the staff table and look at your ridiculous robes, I ponder over the staff meeting we had this morning. You told of Harry too and the words did not sound well to me- "All of you will treat him like a normal student- nothing less or more. I want him to have a normal school life like other children; I assure you that he had a normal childhood."

Your words seem dragon dung to me. When I basically said that you failed to save Lily, you said, without any hint of emotion, that she and her husband put their faith in the wrong person. I agree, that person is YOU! They were not the first, rather the last of your followers who met their end- facts speak for themselves. Next, you mentioned Lily's son while trying to play with my emotions- a bad move on your part. When the Lord will return- I doubt if you will have a good plan for saving him.

Normal childhood? You pompous liar! I found out about him and changed his life five years ago. Since then, I have checked him regularly to ensure his well being, directly or through his aunt Tonks but not meeting him. Your spy must be senile enough to not spot the differences; I did not feel you poking your long nose. Your words do not sound well to me. You talk as if the boy is your property or you his guardian. You prevented the Potter will from being presented in the Wizengamot, so wizards don't know what's there. For now, I am eager for his sorting. Will he be in Gryffindor like his parents?

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The door swung open immediately. The middle-aged woman who stood there was very severe-looking, clad in an emerald cloak and pointed hat, wearing spectacles on her nose. Hagrid mentioned the first years and she dismissed Hagrid, speaking in a Scottish accent. Then she looked at the first years very seriously as she looked over her spectacles, Harry even felt a little nervous.

She welcomed the children, introduced herself as Minerva McGonagall, the deputy headmistress of the school and made a short talk about the Hogwarts house system. The system was not new to Harry; even Stonewall High had houses- dedicated to competitions like sports and quiz but nothing else. But sharing a dormitory, the house points- it was new. Even then, the stern teacher did not mention any personal benefits of winning the house cup at the end of the term. Is there any extra incentive? The professor did not seem the right person to ask this question, maybe the senior ones know that.

She then asked them to smarten themselves up for the sorting, glancing once at the redhead and then at Neville, whose cloak was stuck up his left ear. As soon as she left the place, a chaotic murmur broke out among the students. Harry glanced at the first years around, Ronald was talking to two boys and Hermione had already closed her eyes, muttering something under her breath. The scene was suddenly disturbed by a low scream from some of the students within minutes.

A short bald man looking like a friar entered the place, talking to a rather elegant tall figure in long hair. Both of them had actually passed through solid wall, both were pearly white and transparent. Ghosts! However, the two of them were engaged in a conversation and did not notice the nervous students.

The friar was almost pleading to the tall figure "My good baron, you should consider giving him a chance to reform himself. Every soul deserve that chance, him too. Kindly pardon his mistake for once."

"Dear friar, you should understand the truth- who he really is. He is not like us, actually he is not one of us. I should keep him under watch, hey, what are these children doing here?"

The friar replied cheerfully "The new first years, I suppose. About to be sorted, dears?"

A few of them nodded silently, but before anything else could happen the Scottish professor came back and called to the children to follow her. They passed through a stone passageway with torches lighting the walls, but Harry could not smell anything burning- maybe the fire was magical. Then they stepped into what seemed like a huge hall room, the wooden doors opening automatically when McGonagall approached it. Harry gasped and took in the entire sight, it was splendid.

It seemed that the hall had an open roof, but right then he heard Hermione muttering about the enchanted ceiling. He looked at the four long tables and what seemed like the staff table at the end. A few ghosts were floating high up in the air, all staring at the new students. At that point, McGonagall stopped right in front of the staff table and gestured at a patched pointed hat that was standing on a three-legged stool, which at once began a song in a strange voice.

Harry soon got over the shock of seeing a hat having a mouth and singing, but began to listen attentively to the words of the song. He heard the hat describing the qualities required to be in each house. He now knew that Slytherin is the most ill-reputed one, in recent times his own nemesis was sorted there. So, over a hundred students in his year- all of them can be divided into just four categories? He guessed that he would be in Gryffindor if things were that simple.

The hat finished the song, bowed to each of the tables and then fell silent. The four tables clapped together, but the depute raised her hand and the students fell silent. She then stood with a parchment in her hand, the hat in other and said "When I call your name, come forward and sit on this stool. After the hat sorts you, hand it over to me and join your house. HANNAH ABBOT."

A blond girl in pigtails, with a nervous pink face stepped forward and sat on the stool. The hat was put over her head and moments later, the mouth cried out "HUFFLEPUFF."

The girl smiled nervously, took off the hat and went to join the table that was applauding. The depute gestured the students to be silent, but some of them stood up and patted Hannah on her shoulder. By that time, "SUSAN BONES"- a girl with round cheeks, long nose and brown hair was sitting on the stool, who was sorted into Hufflepuff too. The third student was announced a Ravenclaw.

Harry felt a little at ease. During his last days with his relatives, the words "his own kind" was repeated enough number of times to catch his attention. He now felt a little bored, glanced over the children to be sorted and guessed, watching a curly-haired Lavender Brown being sorted to Gryffindor, that if these children had walked past the Dursleys wearing muggle clothes, they would not have given a second look.

The name "MILICENT BULSTRODE" caught his attention. The girl who stepped forward had at least three-quarters of the height and breadth of Draco Malfoy's bodyguards combined in her, plus an aggressively jutting jaw. She became the first Slytherin, causing the table at one farthest end to applaud. Harry saw something unique in Slytherin- the applause was less enthusiastic and the older students were more interested in looking intently than clapping.

Harry looked for a while at the staff table. At the very centre, sat a tall man with silvery beard and long hair, clad in a glittering pink dress and pointed hat of similar colour, with sharp blue eyes. He was seated in a golden chair while the other staff sat in ornate chairs made of polished wood. _So, that's the man who dumped me at my relative's door and flaunts political positions in a school letter. _

Students had wooden benches, but Harry's eyes now found one interesting-looking teacher. The man was wearing a deep brown cloak, with long black hair and a sharp goatee. He was looking at the sorting with a blank look. Harry gasped at the man- he had differently styled hair and beard, a different-shaped nose but else, the face was exactly similar to the mysterious Mr. Prince he had met years ago. It was a happy memory, but evoking it now felt sad, so he pushed the thought out of his mind.

He scanned the other teachers; none were really remarkable except being clad in fine cloaks. Hagrid was dressed in the overcoat, sitting at one end and his chair was much bigger, just like his frame. One teacher was the opposite of Hagrid, a short bald man with a long white beard.

The sorting went on. Harry watched as Daphne Greengrass was sorted to Slytherin; she walked over to the table and sat down silently after giving a dignified bow to the clapping Slytherin students. Draco was sorted to Slytherin too and out of the people Harry had talked to in train, only Padma was sorted to Ravenclaw while the rest to Gryffindor, Neville having consumed a rather long time of the hat.

Finally "HARRY POTTER" was called. He stepped forward, walked to the stool and McGonagall placed the sorting hat on his head. He became aware that a loud murmur had broken out in the hall amongst the students and before the brim fell over his eyes, he found all the students staring interestedly at him.

"Now what?" thought Harry "the hat will shout Gryffindor, it did to both of my parents as I heard." but right at that moment, he was startled by a small voice that he could hear in his head.

_I sort students by looking inside their minds, not how I chose their parents_. _I do not have a memory of what I did, so now let me look inside your mind and sort you. Now I see in your mind.._

Harry mentally said_ "_What can you see inside my mind?"

_Intelligence, a desire to work towards your success and oh goodness, what have you done?_

_What? I don't remember anything._

_You have done something a few hours ago. You have a capacity to doubt, are deceptive, hide your thoughts and though it seems to be someone's advice, you have taken all of it by heart, isn't it? You also enjoy watching people suffer, though it is purely for revenge._

_Get OUT of my memories, none of your business. The world is not full of friendly people- you may not know that, being inside this castle and doing work once a year._

_I sort students by looking inside their heads. I have no other purpose, no memory of even the student just before you. You are safe in my hands, boy._

Harry felt his shoulders slump in relief when the hat again spoke in his mind.

_You are realistic in outlook. Want to keep secrets too? Enough__!__ You are suited for SLYTHERIN._

The last words were said aloud to the hall. Harry took off the hat with relief that no one is poking into his mind, stood up and was then aware of the awkward silence that had fallen in the entire hall. He looked at the Deputy- she had gone very pale. He glanced at the remaining first years- Ronald Weasley was staring at him with a furious look in his face, not that Harry cared for it. All of Slytherin cannot be potential dark lords, plus he had a question in mind whose answer he did not know.

Thinking that, he ignored the silence and began to walk towards the silent Slytherin table when a slow, rhythmic sound broke his attention. He turned back to see the source- the black-haired teacher clapping slowly, his lips curled in a smile. Another sound broke out- one of the female staff wearing an elegant black cloak, who was perhaps in her late thirties but still had a beautiful, sharp face began clapping and gave a small smile at Harry. A third sound- he found that Daphne was clapping too, along with a pretty brunette girl sitting next to her. Daphne still had a blank face, but the other girl smiled a little at him. A smattering applause from the table followed after that, though much less than what the other newcomers to Slytherin had got. Many of them were looking at him with interest.

He heard the Deputy calling out the next name as he sat down at one of the benches. He glanced at the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables- the three girls he had befriended were looking at him with a sorry look on their faces, while Neville had his mouth hanging open. He did not bother about the rest and looked down at the table, no more daring to look back at the four of them.

Something strange happened just after that. He spotted a man in the staff table who was wearing a violet turban but judging by the looks, he was certainly a Caucasian. This fashion was not seen by Harry even amongst the crowd in Diagon Alley. The man locked eyes with him and immediately looked away. For a second or two, Harry felt something odd- as if something was pushing at his head. The feeling was rather short, it was gone as soon as it came- was he imagining things?

After the final student was sorted to Slytherin, he saw the Deputy roll up the parchment and laid it on the stool with the hat, which then floated away on its own towards an open door. Then the headmaster stood up and said about some announcement. Seconds later, Harry was soon left wondering if the man was mad or was it a joke that nobody seemed to get, but something pleasant followed immediately afterward.

The large empty plates were suddenly filled up with food- Yorkshire pudding, roast chicken, gravy, salad, fries and sausage while the jugs filled up with crystal clear water. He suddenly found out that he was very hungry- the food he had on the train seemed a long time ago. He piled up a bit of everything on his plate, it was a first experience to eat as much as he wanted, that too food like this. He tasted everything and all of it was delicious. He smiled at himself as he imagined Dudley's face as he helped himself to the food then looked at the other tables before casting a sweeping glance at his own house.

The staff and the students were helping themselves to the food, the hall echoed with the sound of talk and laughter. At his own table, he could see only around himself. He saw Draco talking with his cronies at one side while at the other, Daphne was talking to the girl beside her in a low voice and she did not have a blank face now but was smiling demurely at the brunette, the smile warming up her face and lighting up her eyes. For the first time he seemed to notice that Daphne was in fact very beautiful.

He suddenly found the tall long-haired ghost standing before him. He stared at the spectral man with his mouth full of food, but the man spoke first in an echoing voice "I am the Baron, house ghost of Slytherin. I am curious about you, boy. After all, I remember that Potters don't belong to this house."

Harry glanced at the other tables to see ghosts there too. The friar was now walking amongst the Hufflepuff table, an elegant lady was floating above the Ravenclaw while a man in ruffs and feathered hat was talking and bowing to the Gryffindor students. He now tried to talk back to the baron.

"Er, nice to meet you. So, you have met my father and others before that?"

"I surely have, but cannot remember clearly. Being around for a long time causes the memories to blur together, you may not understand what I mean. The castle has so many students all over the years, you cannot remember it all. The staff may stay longer, but they also change over time."

"You have been here for a very long time then, baron?"

"Almost since the founder's times. You can count me amongst the oldest specters of this castle."

The next question was almost automatic "Who is the youngest then?"

"She is Myrtle Warren, some girls of this castle know her. She was a student of this school, of Ravenclaw house about fifty years ago and still mostly lives in the bathroom she died in. She is rather weak of resolve, afraid to cross over yet not accepting her condition. Unworthy if you ask me."

Suddenly Harry became aware that the others around him were listening to the baron too. The man then looked around and said "A tip for the first timers, desserts appear after the main course, so keep space empty. Anything more that you would like to ask from me?"

Harry brushed aside the question how the baron was speaking in modern English but asked another which was bothering him "Who were the staff members that clapped at my sorting?"

"They are Professors Snape and Sinistra. They both are affiliated to Slytherin house and you will be receiving lessons from both of them in your year. Snape is the head of this house too." The baron's lips curled up in a strange smile for some reason "In fact, he will be making a speech to his house in the morning like every year. Anything else, lad?"

"You know that I am famous, right?" Meanwhile, the name Snape was ringing a bell in his mind, he could not place it.

"Yes, for somebody who was once a student of this house. If you ask me to recall, I remember him as a tall, dark-haired boy and nothing else. He did his terrible deeds outside the school, that too years after he left."

The next part was quiet. Harry focused on the food and when the food vanished from the plates, desserts arrived- chocolate gateaux cake, custard, treacle tart, apple pie and vanilla ice-cream topped with raspberry syrup. In the end, Harry had the best meal ever in his life and felt rather sleepy.

The headmaster now stood up from his chair and began making a speech. It made sense but at the end, Harry was pissed off. The forest is out of bounds, he may ask Hermione to find out what creatures reside there, but isn't this a school? Thank god the special door is supposed to have been painted red to warn the students. A student died fifty years ago, she is still here. At that moment, the headmaster looked like a walking cartoon to him and for some reason, he did not like the eyes at all.

The school anthem being sung drowned his thoughts.

_-Review please-_


	15. Chapter 15: snapshots

DISCLAIMER- I don't own the creations of JK Rowling

delia cerrano- thanks for reviewing. I found that the writing was indeed a bit clumsy- I edited it a bit.

The major difference from canon is a better Snape and his influence on Harry, trying to save the boy from the clutches of Albus without raising alarms. For the other characters, I think Albus Dumbledore is exactly the same.

mizzrazz- isn't he supposed to?

Did I make Voldemort stupid in this chapter? Readers will judge.

Chapter 15- Glimpses

Harry was awakened by a knock on his door. He got up in a flash and tried to remember where he was. He was in a small stone room with a single comfortable bed, a chair and a table. A small magical lamp and his opened trunk completed what was present in the room. He heard the sharp knock again and rushed to the door to open it and face the person on the other side.

A tall wiry blond boy was standing there. Harry remembered the boy; the latter was sorted to Slytherin last night too but could not exactly recall the full name- something like Theo. The boy smiled at Harry "Got out of your sweet dreams, Potter? Get going. The head of house will address all of us in fifteen minutes; get down to the common room. No need to dress up in school uniform, a prefect told us. Come on, be quick. Late attendance may be punished severely."

As Harry went to a wash basin, he tried to remember what happened last night. After the school anthem, one of the Slytherin prefects had led them down a stone passage that was directly connected to the hall. They had walked a little, torches lighting the way and after that come to a large room with stone-carved heads of snakes adorning the walls. The prefect had simply laid his hands on the forehead of one of the statues, it had swung open to reveal a small passage beyond.

After that, they had come to a large common room from which passages led to the girls and boys dormitories. Harry along with the boys from his years were showed the first year room and he was amazed to see that each boy had his own room, be it small and sparingly furnished. After that, he had barely managed to change to his pajamas before he had fallen asleep.

He came to the common room, some of the Slytherins were already there, talking to themselves. He was sure that they were deep within the castle, but what seemed like sunlight was coming through a circular hole in the wall, lighting and warming up the room in a way very similar to daylight. Of course, he was in a world where the word "magic" may answer a lot of questions. The baron was also standing there in a corner, though his outline could be barely made out in the bright light.

After sometime, Professor Snape emerged through the passage that led outside, wearing a black cloak. He glanced around the room and spoke "Everybody assembled on time? Prefects, have you checked nobody is on bed? Good, a point to each one of the house for punctuality. Now, to business. For those who do not know me, I am Severus Snape, head of this house and potions master. First years do note that that my first identity will matter to you through your entire school years at Hogwarts, though I expect all of you to excel in my subject and pursue it in your higher years."

The voice startled Harry. It was almost similar to the voice of Mr. Prince, except the fact that he had never heard the man talking in such a businesslike tone. For a second, Snape seemed to glance at Harry but quickly looked away and constantly surveyed the assembled students as he spoke on.

"This is what I say every year because it is important. We are the outsiders to this school and always need to stick together. By that, I mean that you may not be friends, but you will never be enemies. If you do anything improper towards a student of another house, the head of that house can punish you in any way he or she seems suitable. If any student of another house behaves inappropriately towards you, you report it to a Slytherin prefect or me. Within this school, you are never permitted to use magic affecting another person except in self defense. I very much mean what I say."

He paused a little and said in a hard voice "If you behave badly with a staff member or another Slytherin, I will make sure that you are punished. Remember that if anything serious is done by you, then the matter may go beyond my reach- up to the headmaster and even the wizard law enforcement. Remember always that I will not tolerate any conflict within the house. I will also be notified in case you do anything serious to any student of another house."

He then crossed his arms and spoke in a sarcastic voice "You may think that these rules are applicable only inside the school grounds. I may remind the students that the definition of grounds will extend to the train, the road and the village of Hogsmeade during the applicable days. Remember that no member of another house is allowed inside the Slytherin common room. Only the headmaster can come himself or permit others in case of any emergency. I hope that such a situation does not arise."

After that, his tone became a bit soft. He looked around and said "First years welcome to Slytherin house. The first day is an off day, but for you lot a prefect will show you around the castle and grounds. The place will seem a bit tricky to navigate at first, I am mentioning that beforehand. Maybe you now prepare to get to the hall for breakfast where I will hand you the class routines, after which you will be given a tour of the castle. Prefects, you will start by teaching them how to access the common room. Goodbye for now." He then strode out of the room, robes billowing behind him.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

At his own room, Albus Dumbledore was pacing up and down furiously. He did not dare go to his office, where the portraits of the former heads of Hogwarts would see him and ask questions. They may be just portraits, but words spread very fast through them. After all, it was related to his secret plan- the boy he had intentions to set up as a sacrificial lamb, for the greater good of course.

The boy was nothing what Albus had expected him to be. For a while, he had thoughts about apparating to Little Whinging to wring the neck of Arabella Figg. He himself had not observed the boy once since he left the boy on the doorstep Harry was five years old but he had received annual updates from Figg. He could not afford the time, he was a busy person after all, with all those positions of power comes duty.

He was surprised when the boy had refused to accompany Hagrid to buy his school things. Glancing into the half-giant's mind, he had just seen Petunia in her fury, speaking out uncomfortable truths.

Harry may not see the wizarding world as a savior, but feel it is his rightful place. He had then persuaded Remus, but things did not end there. He had expected a small, skeletal boy- telltale signs of neglect and abuse. The Dursleys were perfect as a choice- they would not love the boy and make him feel wanted but neither beat him to a useless bloody pulp. He expected the boy to stare at the great hall in wonder. Now what did he see instead when he was waiting for Harry step into the hall?

The Harry Potter that came into the castle was tall for his age and can pass for a healthy boy, though not fat. The properly combed hair showed that the scar had faded a lot- he guessed that the split soul of Tom must have gone deeper inside the head. Harry's eyes were also not wide with wonder, but had an alert, calculating look in them. How could that idiot Arabella miss these signs? She had reported a thin boy whom she saw tending the garden and lawn. Was she going senile?

He could even dare to confront the Dursleys and ask them why they had stop treating the boy with neglect and occasional cruelty, exactly what he had expected them to do. It may be somewhat high-handed to burst into their house with negative emotions, the blood wards may not react well.

Not only Arabella's faulty reports, he himself was disturbed too. He was confident with his ability in Legilimency, he had expected to read the boy's mind like a open book. It was very frustrating to discover that he could not do that. It was unlikely for the boy to receive lessons in occlumency, he must have bought an enchanted amulet. Did Remus buy it for the boy? If yes, why? Worse, he cannot confront the boy or the werewolf over the issue that he cannot sneak into an 11-year olds mind.

He did not know that one of his former students have tried and failed too. That person had relied less on subtle skill and more on force, so had alerted the boy and feeling puzzled.

More of his plans had failed. He had arranged for Figg to follow Vernon's car to King's Cross on that day, meet Molly Weasley and point out the boy to him. He had visited the mother-son duo earlier and laid out clear instructions for them. He had already put a compulsion charm on Remus to not tell Harry about how to get to the hidden platform. Molly would "accidentally" stumble into the boy, tell him the way and also introduce her youngest son- who had his own role.

He had asked Ron to sit near Harry and pretend to be friends. It was not easy, the redhead was full of jealousy but there was no other choice in his mind. Ron had to create the illusion of friendship, isolate Harry from the other students at Hogwarts, it was a dreadful idea for the boy to befriend Neville Longbottom, Draco Malfoy or Susan Bones in particular plus others may prove risky too. No, Harry would have to interact with only whom Albus approved.

Plus, Ronald was a lazy, useful idiot- no interest in anything except sports, no desire to learn anything. Exactly the sort of peer he wanted Harry to have. Later, Harry would stay at the Burrow for short periods where Molly would show him some kindness. After all, Albus was not absolutely heartless; he did plan for the boy to experience at least some caring and happiness in his short life.

He had also told Ron that the latter expected to be sorted into Gryffindor; he could not put a compulsion charm on the sorting hat. He had asked Ron to malign Slytherin during the journey- cite the worst aspects of the house. He expected Harry to ask the hat to place him in the same house as his parents and new "friend". Even Gryffindor has its own variations like all the other houses- the best is a person of honour who always sticks to his/her principles while the worst is an overconfident reckless muscle-head, information that Harry need not know.

In the hall, he had observed the face of the Weasley boy twice, when Harry's name was called and when the hat did the sorting. In the end, he knew that the first steps of his big plan have ended in a big failure. He had found it difficult to concentrate on the excellent feast which was rather uncommon for him. He himself did not like being in the dark or his predictions going wrong.

He could not accept his plans not working out. He has to create new plans. Harry Potter has to become a willing sacrifice for the light. He may be allowed to live past his seventeenth birthday, but must not make a will- he had made plans for the boy's inherited wealth long ago, right? He has to be kept in the dark, knowing only what Albus wanted him to. Past cannot be changed but future planned out.

Dumbledore had plans to instigate Harry to walk to his own slaughter after using the boy, he would not taint his own hands- that's crude. At the same time, Snape has to remain a useful spy and not doubt that Dumbledore is using him by tinkering with the man's emotions.

The greater good counts above all.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The goblin king looked at Foxnose, who was in fact looking happy. He had put the clever goblin in charge of finding more soul anchors. One more had been found inside the Lestrange vault. The goblins had then decided to look at the two pieces of real estate that Tom Riddle possessed according to magical law.

Ragnuk spoke first "Well, I hope that you have brought me good news. You took two days only."

Foxnose now smiled "Not only news, but also the object itself. The thing is in the box that I now hold in my hands, O king. It's a stone set in a ring but carrying a powerful curse and compulsion charm. I may also inform you that I alone could rescue the object, no further help was needed."

Ragnuk's now spoke in a curious voice "Really? Do sit down and tell me how it was that easy."

"I approached the houses where the Riddle and Gaunt families used to reside. The Gaunt residence had some wards; I sensed them to be laid out in a hemispherical pattern around the house which is now reduced to rubble. I could not believe that the task was so easy and even thought it was a trap."

"I could not understand. Provide me more information."

"My good king, I began digging a tunnel from outside the wards and reached the bottom of the house. The box was hidden under wooden floor-boards, the floor was just mud and strengthened with a durability charm. Good to resist mundane burrowing creatures, but not a prepared goblin. Apparently, the dark one did not expect anyone to do what I did. I don't think that the wards were tripped."

"Then?" asked a calm voice.

"I restored the floor to its former condition, closed the mouth of the tunnel and came straight to you. I have not left behind any trace to the best of my knowledge, O King. "

"Good job, but not excellent. Leave the box with me and send for the head of the curse and crafting sections. An exact replica of the ring will be created, the same curse put into it and the forged ring put in the same box. The tunnel will be totally filled up when the job is done. You would volunteer to put it back? All right, you may leave now."

Three down, maximum of four more to go- thought the king. These three would never be recovered intact from Gringotts by the dark one. Tom Riddle would now pay the price for the Nottingham massacre, Ragnuk just wanted to extract the maximum possible price.

_-Review please_-


	16. Chapter 16: confront

DISCLAIMER- I don't own the creations of JK Rowling

_ Cassandra & Mizzrazz- you can refer to at least the first two chapters of the story- Lily's changes by arekay, story id-6992471, it's a bit extreme though._

Chapter 16- Settling down

"Have you any special schedule for the Potter boy, Albus?" I had asked innocently at the staff meeting before the students arrived. As a result, I had then received a negative and now find myself facing the headmaster alone in the latter's office the next morning.

The headmaster looked at me sharply "I have issued perfectly clear guidelines that he would receive the same treatment as all other students. May I know why were you concerned for the boy?"

"I am concerned? Why, you yourself had said that the boy will be in terrible danger when the lord returns. Surely you have not forgotten what you had said yourself? I hoped you will give the boy special preparation when he would attend school. Or you have already seen to it?"

"Oh, I see. Of course I have plans for the boy, but I prefer to keep the details to myself. You need not be concerned for that and must treat him like any other student. Surely you have not lost your faith in my abilities, Severus?" the blue eyes looked at my face very seriously over the half-moon glasses. My mind is sealed against reading, so bad luck with that for you.

"Of course not." I mumbled, only to be dismissed by a wordless wave of the headmaster's hand. I stood on the revolving stair and do not know whether to laugh or get angry at you. You expected a Slytherin to tell the truth to you in such a case? I lost faith in you years ago; it only increased over time. I will continue with my plans, like putting him in detention in front of the entire class. Otherwise people will doubt why I am spending time with the boy.

Or am I actually gaining faith in you over time, Albus? To be precise, faith in your incompetence and overconfidence, plus maybe stupidity?

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Harry now began his new life at Hogwarts, as a Slytherin. He had his own room but could not understand how sunlight came through an opening in the top, or in the common room. Maybe it was the magical equivalent of fiber-optic cabling. He did not yet know how the lamp in his room worked.

He was shown how the entrance to the common room worked. The stone heads of the snakes were made to recognize the fingerprints of the new students. Simply put, it was a system controlled by the prefects where the statue would sense the hand placed upon it and if it was a known pattern, it would give way to the person. There were about fifteen identical heads sticking out from the walls, a prefect announced that it was a different entrance every week, it would be announced which one. Going out was simpler; they have to simply push from behind. Similarly, the rooms assigned to each boy had doors that could magically sense the hand placed upon it and recognize the rightful occupant.

The way to the great hall was straight from the dungeons. The prefect announced that the house head would hand over the class schedules on the first day, so they had to be present within nine. On the other days, it was a more casual affair; anybody can go within the assigned hours and find food. Even this time, the Slytherin head boy and girl supervised the seating so that all students from each year sit in a continuous row. Apparently, it made handing out the class schedules easier for the house heads.

They sat down for breakfast at their table; the utensils seemed to have changed and the choice for food was very simple after last night's grand feast- porridge with milk, honey and some strawberries. Harry spotted Neville at the Gryffindor table and waved, he waved back with a small smile on his lips. He could not spot Hermione or the twin girls, so focused on eating. The quality of the food was good but except the strawberries, it was his regular food back at his relatives place.

He glanced at the staff table, it was not as full as last night. At the Slytherin table, almost the same sitting pattern from last night was there in the table. At his side, he heard Malfoy flanked by his cronies and talking to them "There are different sorts of food served through the year, my father told me. Stop whining and eat." Other boys in his year- the tall blonde and the dark skinned boy were eating silently too. Daphne and her friend were again wrapped around each other, ignoring the rest.

Hermione was spotted at the Ravenclaw table, talking to a small group. Harry finished his helping and glanced at the giant clock atop the staff table- there was twenty minutes time. He felt an urge to talk to his new friend and walked over to her. He asked her how was the Gryffindor common room, only to be drowned in a barrage of words from the excited girl.

Apparently, she had already talked to the other muggle-born students and found out what the other common rooms were like. Apparently, both the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw common rooms were atop separate towers, with great view of the mountains beyond the lake. The decorations were different, just like the house colours and so was the method of entrance- Gryffindors have to give a password to a talking portrait of a lady while Ravenclaws have to solve a riddle asked by a giant stone eagle.

Hufflepuff house had their common room not in a high tower but a wing of the castle from where they had a great view of the lake and the grounds, along with the forest beyond. They had their own wall decorations too, in the house colours of yellow and black. She did not ask Harry about the Slytherin common room but excitedly said that she had found out the location of the library.

Hermione then proceeded further, displaying her newfound knowledge from the book _Hogwarts- a history_. Apparently, the houses were named after the founders of Hogwarts. Ravenclaw tower had a statue of the witch, while Hufflepuff had a painting in their common room. Godric Gryffindor had never allowed any painting or statue of him to be created; he wanted to live only through his achievements. However, his description was a very tall and broad-shouldered man with reddish brown long hair and bread. Before she could proceed further, the heads of houses arrived in the hall carrying a heap of parchments on their hands, so both went back to their respective tables.

Harry went to sit at the Slytherin table. Snape walked in a straight line from one end, had come to him and had passed him the schedule wordlessly before moving to the other students. He looked at the teachers at the other tables and now knew who the other heads of houses were and felt a faint curiosity to know how the teachers would teach in their classes, particularly to Slytherins.

The tour of the castle began immediately after the breakfast, the Slytherin first years following two prefects. As they began to show the various parts of the castle, particularly the location of the classrooms, Harry felt that the insides of the castle was much more spacious than what it seemed from outside, perhaps the whole castle had an extension charm within it. He felt fascinated and ignored Malfoy's threat "I don't like people being smart with me, Potty."

The castle was really great from inside too. The prefects also told them that they need not try to remember the layout of the staircases, those change on a regular basis. There were many paintings of people hung in certain corridors, they seemed to be moving, talking to themselves and pointing at the students. Even the Slytherin common room had a few such portraits, so it was not new. Sometimes a ghost or two could be seen floating high above in the air, wearing medieval style clothes and very faint in the bright sunlight lighting up the corridors. There were metallic suits of armour with weapons and stone statues, both human and other forms, standing here and there.

While walking, the students also came across Peeves, the resident poltergeist of the castle. He was a short man in bright clothes floating in the air, who made faces at the first years and called them rude names before floating away. The prefects warned them that Peeves should be watched out for; he can turn invisible and be really troublesome. Only the baron could control him, Harry learnt.

Midway through the tour, they came back to the Great hall for lunch, which was also good but simple compared to the opening feast. Harry ran into trouble that afternoon with some senior students of his own house in the common room, to be rescued by others.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Afternoon tea at Hogwarts was delicious- with cupcakes, scones and sweet buns. After they had sat down at their table, one of the prefects said "The tour is finished. Now you can eat and go back to the common room. Classes start from tomorrow, be prepared and punctual. All the best."

Harry could not spot his friends, so ate silently and went down to the Slytherin common room. As soon as he entered, he found three huge senior years coming towards him. Before he could do anything, he found himself pushed against a wall and a wand pressed against his face. He had only looked at the boy who had pinned him- a heavily built dark haired boy when the situation changed.

The boy had just begun speaking in a rough voice "Potter, you deserve…"

A silvery ball of light seemed to drop right through the ceiling and passed into the body of the boy. The eyes glowed silver for a moment and the boy staggered backwards, releasing the grip on harry and lowering the wand. The huge boy then pointed his wand at the other two and said "Step back now."

All the students present in the Slytherin common room had stood up at the event. Harry himself was baffled but his attacker continued pointing his wand at the other two and spoke again "Back, now." The room fell into a deadly silence, to be broken by the entrance swinging open and Snape stepping in.

At that moment, one of the mysteries became clear to Harry. His attacker turned back at him and smiled, then his eyes glowed silver again. The baron seemed to simply walk out of the boy's body the next moment and stood a little away. So, the baron had somehow sensed trouble and took over the body to prevent trouble. The head of house was also alerted somehow.

The huge boy suddenly had a confused look in his face and looked around the entire room, then spotted Snape staring at him with cold eyes. He however defiantly stared back at Snape.

Snape's ice cold voice broke the awkward silence in the room "So, Marcus Flint, are you suffering from any loss of memory at present? What about two of you- same condition?" while at the same time, cold black eyes directly stared into the angry eyes of Marcus Flint.

The three of them, including Flint shook their heads in confusion. The cold voice continued "So, you must know what I say at the beginning of each term every year. I spoke this very morning. Yet, you attacked and pointed a wand at a first year student. May I know why?"

Flint spoke in an angry voice "Sir, there are many people who had seen Potter this morning, not only us. He walked over to the Ravenclaw table and talked to a Gryffindor. Ask the other students if you wish."

Draco's gleeful voice could be heard "Yes sir, I and my friends have seen.." only to be stopped by a sharp rebuke from Snape "Silence! Nobody will speak unless I ask them to." Snape then bored his eyes into Flint's and said "So, what else has he done, Mr. Flint?"

Flint now had a satisfied look in his face. He smiled "Nothing else that I know, sir." The smile however vanished at the next words that came out of Snape's mouth.

"Fifty points from Slytherin for attacking a junior housemate in an act of aggression and pointing a wand at him. You seem to ignore what I have said this very morning. Another twenty points deducted for a pathetic excuse. There is no rule barring Slytherins from talking to students of another house or making friends with them, else I would have notified the students myself. I will give detention the next time this is repeated, the whole house may take notice of this. Also, I assume you all have normal memories."

Flint had a shocked look in his face, but again spoke in an angry voice "Slytherin house is the best."

"Another ten points for speaking rudely to a teacher, I am overlooking your stupidity. In what way this house is the best at present, Mr. Flint? Shall I comment on the academic marks of the three of you?" Snape then took his eyes off a silent Flint and surveyed the crowd standing in silence.

"Listen, all of you. Remember that you all are students of this school- what matters is your conduct and academic marks. If you do not like a student of this house, avoid him or her. You can talk to other house members if you wish to, though I do not expect the tactics of the quidditch team to be divulged. Don't behave like these three oafs in future, or else you will be facing detentions. This house is currently on top in only one thing- former house members filling up prison cells. If you want to follow their footsteps, then know that what you do after leaving school is not my concern. Good evening everybody, behave yourselves." With a swirl of his cloak, Severus Snape walked out of the common room.

Harry suddenly felt very embarrassed, he did not dare to look up and see whom his housemates were staring at. He walked towards the boys dormitory, went to his own room and sat down quietly. The room was quite dark by now. He changed from his school robes, washed his face and sat down quietly.

He suddenly heard a knocking on his door. Feeling a little tense after the incident, he went to the door and opened it, to find two boys from his own year- the wiry blond and the dark skinned boy standing outside. Before he could say or do anything, the blond extended his hand and spoke.

"Hello, Potter. I am Theodore, from the house of Nott. Nice to meet you."

Harry shook Nott's hand silently, then the dark skinned boy introduced himself as Blaise Zabini. Zabini then spoke "As we are in the same year and house, Nott and I thought that we three must know each other."

"Nice to meet you two, but why only the three of us? Will Draco Malfoy and his friends come later?" grinned Harry.

Nott looked around the empty corridor and replied "It seems that you are mistaken. Malfoy does not seem to have any friends, Potter. He has two pet trolls as bodyguards whom he orders around. We two will not follow orders from Malfoy, however rich his father is. As you do not look like them, I may assume you will not be with them."

The three of them laughed together, it was the beginning of a friendship. Harry now felt more at ease being sorted into Slytherin

_-Thanks for reading_


	17. Chapter 17: classes

DISCLAIMER- I don't own the creations of JK Rowling

_Sorry for the late update, but do understand that life has its own demands. While reading this chapter, please remember that I nowhere mentioned that Snape is a friendly teacher._

_Centaurious- I edited the portion and made it shorter._

_SB- I didn't know of other houses, but thought if order is not kept within Slytherin house, then authorities have to regularly remove corpses from there, hit by spells in the back or poisoned_.

Chapter 17

This weekend I am going to reveal myself to Lily's son, but in private. I have my own plans for him, I don't care about the long-bearded headmaster. As long as he does not poke his nose, it will be fine. I made the boy's life better years ago, but it was quite easy. After all, even muggle mind healers accept that very few people in the world have the mental caliber to do wrong and not suffer from guilt and mental weakness.

I am following your own words, Albus. When the lord will return, he may discover that his biggest secret is out. The goblins are already seeing to it. For the boy, I will fight fire with fire. Maybe the lord will return and the boy will be in danger. Maybe the boy will lose his life in the end.

My plan is simple- when the lord will take Harry's life, I want it to be earned dearly by the former. I will make the boy as dangerous as possible. The boy is healthy and bright, I will push him to the maximum limit over time. It will begin this very Saturday if my plans succeed.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Normal classes at Hogwarts started immediately after the first day. The schedule was the same- get up in your own room, wash and go to the Great hall for breakfast. Then classes start an hour later and going on till afternoon, with the lunch break in between. After that, spending time in the common room or studying at one's own room. Curfew hours started in the late evening, it was forbidden for a student to go out then, else they ran into the bad-tempered caretaker and his cat.

The castle was complicated. The layout of the inner portion changed regularly, the people in the portraits kept moving and the armour suits also seemed to move. The many resident ghosts were floating around all the time, though they became very faint during daytime. They were different in nature too. The baron kept mostly silent, the Gryffindor ghost Sir Nicholas had rather refined manners while the Hufflepuff friar was rather good-natured. Most of the others stayed aloof and Peeves was extremely annoying, particularly if he found any student alone.

The weekends were off; students could spend time in the lush grounds by the lake during daytime apart from the common room. They could also go to the library and look up the various books. Harry had talked to Hermione, Padma and Neville- the four of them had decided to meet in the school grounds after Saturday lunch. Before that, they had almost a whole week of classes to go through.

There were many branches of magic, Harry already knew that from the extra book given to him by Lupin. Hogwarts started with a few of them, and then more subjects were offered in the third year. There was one non-magical class taught for the first year- the muggle studies teacher taught them grammar so that they could properly write on other subjects. Some subjects were entirely avoided apart from the dark arts. Warding, elemental magic, magical theory and rituals were entirely absent from the Hogwarts curriculum, nor were there any mention about magic related to the mind, soul and blood. To his frustration, he found that there are interesting non-magical subjects missing too.

There was a subject called Pragmatology with many subdivisions, which was the closest thing to muggle science- though there were differences too. Muggles may study physics, chemistry and life sciences but not about multiple planes of reality or types of spectral beings. Also, he first learnt the word eremos and how wizards referred to it almost as a living being.

He learnt both from his friends and the extra book that apart from history, there were also a few more subjects that muggles and wizards shared- mathematics, law and politics- which all seemed interesting to him. He knew about the Ministry of magic, but did not know any details about it.

The entire Slytherin house was not really friendly even to each other. They seemed to be divided into small groups that seemed closed to outsiders, each group kept away from the others. In the classes and common room, his friendship with Nott and Zabini was moderately successful but they really did not have any others to talk to or spend time. Draco Malfoy did not even talk to them, he mostly ordered his bodyguards around or seemed to boast about one thing or the other. The girls also kept to themselves.

Initially his friends were surprised that he did not know much of indoor magical games like exploding snap and gobstones but when he told them that he lived with muggles, they were taken aback. He did not tell anything more when he learnt from them that his whereabouts are a secret in the wizarding world right after his parent's death, only Albus Dumbledore had publicly claimed to have any knowledge of it. Yet, the comic books that showed him as a hero kept on multiplying over time.

There was much to learn in the classes that went on through the entire week. Each teacher was different, just like the subjects. The ghost who taught them history made it the most boring subject. The practical lessons in astronomy were held in the middle of night once every week. Many subjects seemed to have a combination of both theory and practical, though theory was mostly left for homework.

The defense against dark arts subject, Harry found, would have no practical lessons. To make it worse, Professor Quirrel made it annoying on account of his classroom smelling of garlic, plus his nervousness and stammering. No one could actually make it out what the man was afraid of inside the castle- rogue vampires or any other dark creature are not supposed to be found inside the premises.

The charms class was taught by the diminutive head of Ravenclaw house. The class had started off rather well. The man entered on time and stood on a raised platform so that he could clearly see the class, then began his lecture in a cheerful voice.

"Good morning class. I am Filius Flitwick and I will be the charms teachers for you over your years at Hogwarts. It is a very useful branch of magic and rather simple in concept. I will start with some basic concepts and then move on to kinetic charms first. It is the class of charms associated with moving objects as per your wish. Now, let me take your attendance before I begin."

He began to call out the student's names from Slytherin house. As soon as he reached Harry's name, he became excited. He beamed at Harry and said "Really pleased to meet you Mr. Potter. Your mother was one my favourite students. Let's see how you fare in my class." Saying that, he bowed forward to Harry and almost stumbled down from the platform, just balancing himself at the last moment.

He then gave a lecture about wand movements and correct pronunciation of spells. He also said that magic is all about focus and intent, though practice makes a wizard more skilled.

Transfiguration with the stern-looking depute was different too. She had the ability to make the class silent without any effort. When she made the roll-call, she glanced at every face for a moment. Then she wasted no time and began her lecture in her Scottish accent.

"I will teach you Transfiguration till your fifth year, though I do wish to continue to teach even in the advanced levels. Coming to the subject, it means changing one object to another. It may sound simple, but there is much to learn. Even before I begin, I am warning you. None of you will attempt to do anything outside my instructions in class. If you do not feel comfortable performing a spell, admit it to me. I will excuse it but will not tolerate any funny business- mark my words."

After a brief pause, she continued her lecture. "You have much to learn in this class. While changing an object, it may help if you know what objects are made up of. There are limits to transfiguration. You will not transfigure anything into the metals wizard currency is made up of. There is ethics- if you vanish a living creature, you may be killing it. You have to use your sense. Suppose I want you to make a chair. It will take less effort to transfigure it from something else than conjure it up. Now take down the notes."

After taking some complicated notes, they were assigned a matchstick each and McGonagall showed how to turn it into a silver needle. They tried to repeat it for themselves, but without much success. Harry followed her instructions very carefully but the silvery needle he managed to make was rather blunt. The class ended with McGonagall assigning of a pile of homework to them.

"Whew, that was tough. Just one class left today, thank goodness." said Zabini as the Slytherins came out of the transfiguration classroom for the next class. They had potions in the dungeons as the final class. Harry smiled and remained silent, but Nott gave a reply.

"That's the potions class with our own head of house. Don't know which house is going to share classes with us. Mark my words, Professor Snape is not to be taken lightly, he is known to be merciless."

Harry felt a little nervous, his experience with Snape was too little. As the Slytherins trooped into the potions dungeon, they caught sight of some more students approaching. Harry saw the familiar mass of bushy hair and waved to the three Gryffindor students he knew. They waved back too with faint smiles.

The potions classroom looked just like the other classrooms, properly lighted up somehow despite being under the ground. The two houses were suddenly alerted by the sound of doors closing.

Professor Snape had entered the room and closed the doors behind him. He walked towards the teachers table and sat down on the chair. His eyes surveyed the room and for the first time, Harry really felt that Snape looked scary, at least in his classroom. His cold voice then filled the room.

"Both houses, I hope that all of your numbers are present in this room? Remember always that I do not tolerate anyone coming to my class late or absenting without any valid reason. So, let's move on to today's attendance for the class."

His drawled through the names of the students. When reading out the Slytherin names, he stopped for a moment and then called out "our _famous _Harry Potter." For a split moment, Harry thought that the potions master's eyes glanced towards Malfoy's direction as he said those words. The blond ponce had a smile upon his lips at Snape's words.

"Present, sir." Harry replied in a flat voice. Snape moved on to the next name after that.

After the roll call, Snape began to pace around the teacher's table, his eyes boring into the students while his voice spoke in the cold monotone. Somehow, the class did not dare interrupt.

"You are here to learn potion making. This branch of magic has very little stupid wand use, so it may seem to you that this is not a branch of magic at all. Perhaps you will realize the joy when you would sense that your potion is properly brewed, when you will wait for the effects when it is taken. I can teach you to accomplish things that you may only dream of. Of course, I will not succeed if you are like what I usually have to teach- dunderheads who cannot follow instructions in plain English."

Snape suddenly turned at Harry and said "Potter, what would be the result if I add powdered root of Asphodel to an infusion of Wormwood?"

Harry felt lost, but he saw Hermione's hand suddenly shoot off into the air- the girl seemed to be jumping with excitement. He saw Snape's eyes sweep across the class and then boring into his face. In fact, no other student has raised his or her hand.

Harry said politely "I don't know, sir."

"See, fame cannot help in your studies. Let me be clear. All of you, I am just asking questions now. If any of you cannot answer any question in examination, you will be awarded zero marks." Then his eyes turned to a spectacle- Malfoy was shaking with silent laughter, his two goons copying him.

Snape faced the three boys and the words shot out of his mouth "You two, can you explain to me what is the meaning of infusion?"

Malfoy fell silent, but the reactions of Crabbe and Goyle were a treat to watch. They mumbled, but no words came out of their mouth. They both looked at Malfoy with confused expressions. Harry noted that Hermione was still jumping up and down with her hand raised. Snape spoke again.

"Why are you two looking at him? Will he answer questions or sit in exams for you? If you cannot answer, then explain to the class what is so funny." The result was pin-drop silence.

Snape spoke again "Can anyone say how monkswood and wolfsbane are different?" He surveyed the class and asked again "Who can tell me where to find a bezoar? I am not asking only Potter but all of you present. " Harry found himself raising his hand, in addition to Hermione.

He heard someone speak rather loudly "So the famous boy seemed to have joined the know-it-all." He felt anger and looked at the speaker, who was the suspicious redhead from the train.

"Silence!" barked Snape "no one will speak in class unless I tell him to. Your answer, Potter." He ignored Hermione's raised hand and her jumping up and down.

"In an apothecracy for sure." said Harry, gathering courage. As a result, he saw Snape frowning at him while Hermione seemed to become even more excited. Snape was now directly facing him.

"Tell me then, what advantage does potions have compared to charms or transfiguration?" Out of the corner of his eyes, Harry saw Hermione dropping her hand and looking confused. Harry did not know what to say, but an answer formed in his mind within moments.

"Sir, when we charm or transfigure anything, then the effects may go wrong if the spell is not done properly. However, in potions, we may know that the potion is not done properly if it does not match the results mentioned. We would then avoid taking the potion or giving it to someone else."

"Correct, Potter. Five points to Slytherin. As for you, Miss Granger" Snape finally seemed to notice Hermione "you just raise your hand, I can see it. Do not get excited like that in future. Now, answer me."

Hermione smiled and then rattled off the answers so fast that Harry could hardly follow. She finished answering and stood silent, with the smile adorning her face. It vanished at Snape's next words.

"You would have earned twenty points for Gryffindor, but Weasley cost ten for his behavior. Plus, another point off for jumping like that. Nine points to Gryffindor. I did not expect nobody in two houses answering my questions, except one. I would award zero marks in tests if this continues. Now, a little practical class. Keep in mind one fact, follow the instructions carefully."

After that the class was set to pairs by Snape, each taking a cauldron. Snape set them a simple potion to brew. Harry was paired with Neville, who looked somehow relieved having him as partner. In the meantime Snape looked scary, moving around the classroom and stopping at each pair to point out what they were doing wrong. He seemed to ignore Malfoy for some reason.

Working with Neville was tougher than what Harry expected. The round-faced boy was nervous and seemed to be absolutely scared of Snape, though the potions master was not threatening anybody. When the potion was almost finished in their cauldron, it suddenly bubbled and fell out on the floor. By instinct, Harry had leapt away from it but Neville was not so lucky. The liquid had spilled over him, causing red boils to erupt on his face and hands.

Snape rushed to the scene and cleared the mess with a single wave of his wand. He stared angrily at Neville and said "Dunderhead of the class. Why did you add porcupine quills before cooling it off? Class dismissed. Gryffindors, take your housemate to hospital right now."

He then turned towards Harry and said "Potter, what were you doing? Detention with me in my office, Saturday six in the evening. All of you, leave the class."

The potions master swept out of the room, leaving behind a stunned Harry. The next thing that the boy noticed was Malfoy smiling triumphantly at him.

_Thanks for reading._


	18. Chapter 18: Revealation

DISCLAIMER- I don't own the creations of JK Rowling

Sorry being late readers, but life's demands come in the way.

Chapter-18

Harry woke up on Saturday morning, recalling the schedule for the day. He would have breakfast in the great hall, then visit Neville in the infirmary and do homework in the common room. After that, he would have lunch in the hall; then spend some time in the grounds talking to Hermione and the Patil twins. He had asked Nott and Zabini to come with him, but the latter had opted to stay away. Then he would have tea and spend the evening doing detention with Snape, whatever the man wants him to do.

As he was about to exit the common room, he heard two final year Slytherins sitting near the exit talking to each other. One of them said "Professor Quirrel was totally different in that lesson. In fact it seemed that a different person was teaching that lesson, a confident and experienced one."

The other one seemed to agree "I also was amazed that he knew so much about magical security systems and taught in a way much better than the books. But he was brilliant in that class, no doubt. He could have been a useful accomplice of the Dark Lord if he had joined his group during that time. If he knows so much, then he can figure out how to disable them too."

Harry found the conversation interesting, but he knew that as a first year he could not understand about what is taught in higher classes. The conversation was out of his mind by the time he reached the hall. He was relieved to see Neville at the Gryffindor table and smiled at the round faced boy. He glanced at the staff table to find Snape looking at his own food, but he felt the headmaster gazing intently at him for some time before focusing back on the breakfast.

The rest of the day passed normally. Harry spent the day doing the transfiguration homework with his two housemates, then went to lunch at the normal time. He then went to the grounds to find Hermione, Padma- she preferred to tie her hair in a braid in contrast to Parvati's ponytail and Neville waiting for him. Nott had agreed to come, the two of them sat down with the three on the grass. Potter introduced his new friend to his old ones, they greeted each other. They talked about a lot of things.

Harry was relieved to see Neville in good shape, but the boy said that he was out of the hospital wing in two hours, the matron had treated his burns with some magical potion and spells.

He then continued the conversation "Where's Parvati? Is she not coming?"

Hermione wrinkled her nose "No, she's now very happy to be friends with Lavender Brown. They both are spending a lot of time discussing about shops in Diagon alley. I am already scared after the amount of homework and revision, not to mention the extra books I am reading to catch up."

Nott spoke now "What extra books are you reading, Granger?"

"Oh, there are a few. Rise and fall of the dark forces in Twentieth century Europe, Magical life-forms of Britain, Atlas of magical Britain and Are muggles really unaware of the magical world. I am studying all the school books and also plan to buy a book on mundane physics after I get some spare time. I am really busy after class; do not know if I can finish all of them. Your sister or her new friend does not study like me, Padma. How would they learn or sit in the exams?"

Neville now joined "Not all are the same, Hermione. In my dormitory, all are different. That boy Dean Thomas is very happy to have a magic wand; he is reading extra books on charms and transfiguration. The Weasley boy is strange. He says that his five elder brothers have done well in Hogwarts and he has to work hard to catch up to them. Actually he never studies and always wants someone to play magical games with or just talk about quidditch. He gets up last in the morning; we all leave the common room when he is still snoring. He even tried to tell us that you will be a powerful and evil wizard in future, Harry. That's why you were sorted to Slytherin."

Padma spoke then "What rubbish! If that is true, then around two hundred Dark lords and ladies are inside the castle. Two of them are sitting with us, I am very scared." She giggled.

Hermione laughed too and said "I am excited to be a real witch. I wonder what will my parents say when I get home. I am now scared how I will fare in the final examinations. When I will go back home, nobody around will realize I am now a witch. Do witches live in secret in India, Padma?"

Padma snorted "Back there, nobody will believe you that you are a witch because your feet are not turned backward. I have to write a letter in evening, my parents want to know how studying in a British school is like. Actually, it is the only British school to be precise."

"Are there other schools in India too, besides the one you mentioned- Bhangarh fort school?"

"Oh, there are quite a few. I said it was the largest in western India. In the east the Mayang school is so well-known that even muggles know its name for centuries. They know of a village by the name and the real school is located within a deep forest. There is a saying that if any muggle comes near the place, he or she will be transfigured into an animal. It is said that dark arts are taught there. "

The group spent the whole afternoon talking to each other. Hermione was the most talkative while Nott remained mostly silent.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Though Harry felt that Snape was unfair in giving him detention, he did not know if he had any option other than doing it. He took some tea and buns from the table in the evening and then walked to Snape's office. He opened the door and peeked inside to see Snape sitting in his desk, checking a piece of parchment- perhaps homework from the higher classes.

He spoke in a loud voice "May I come in, sir?"

Snape looked at Harry and said "Enter." The boy stepped inside the room and the next moment, the door of the office slammed shut. Snape had gestured at the door, performing a wandless spell. He then gestured at Harry to sit in the opposite chair and continued checking the homework.

While still glancing at the homework, Snape spoke in a voice that Harry had not heard in years. The same potion of the potions master spoken in a different tone made it seem like belonging to a different person. He said "Harry, the nose of a person can be made to look different by a glamour charm. The beard and hair can also be transfigured to look different." He pointed his wand at his own nose. The shape changed for a few moments, Harry found his uncle Prince smiling at him.

He was so shocked that he stood up the moment Snape performed the glamour charm; the chair almost fell to the ground with the sudden push. He looked at Snape, who was now looking at him with an amused face. He almost screamed "YOU!" and then fell silent as a torrent of emotions ran through his mind, seeing his "Uncle Prince" after such a long time.

Snape put away the parchment and gazed into Harry's eyes. He said "Yes, me. Did you know I was your mother's childhood friend and neighbor? We studied in the same year at Hogwarts. My mother's name was Eileen Prince. I had scared your relatives and though I erased your memory, I and your aunt Tonks took you for a health-check up then. The goblins had agreed to treat you when you turn eleven. You refused to accompany Hagrid, but when you went with Remus, I told him everything so that you get what you need before coming to Hogwarts."

"Why did you erase my memory, uncle Prince or is it Snape?" asked Harry.

"From now on, you must call me sir. I am your teacher and if you mistakenly call me uncle in front of others, it would raise doubts. I have locked the door, you will tell everybody that I made you scrub and clean the floor of my office. For your question, I thought that the headmaster may turn up with your Hogwarts letter and may poke into your mind. That's why I altered my appearance when I met you. The children with muggle background are usually visited by the Depute and the muggle studies teacher. For you, he sent the gamekeeper and then Lupin, the friend of your idiot father."

Harry mumbled "Sorry sir, I do not know anything about my father."

"I knew him in school. You know those twin redheaded clowns in Gryffindor? Your father and his best friend were like them, only from richer families. Better not talk of it. Anything important you wish to tell me? It has been a long time I am talking to you, though Tonks kept watch regularly. She said you were being treated well. I hoped to meet you in school. "

Harry now knew the Weasley twins; they seemed to create a lot of laugh at the castle. He felt odd to know that his father was like that, but let the thought pass. He glanced at the man who had first shown him any kindness and somehow forced his relatives to treat him better, then stared for a few moments at the desk, wondering what he would talk about. Lily had also told him to talk to Snape.

He talked about meeting his parents, Snape fell silent. He then told about the suspicious Ronald Weasley. By the time he finished talking, Snape was frowning.

"What rubbish! No Potter, the platforms do not move about. She herself was on the train at least fourteen times, plus she now has six sons boarding the train over time. You are right, but I can find it out. I will put the boy in detention and see into his mind to know what exactly was going on. He is probably not protected by the special locket I had asked Lupin to buy for you to prevent any such effort."

Harry now felt angry and spat out "Who would read my mind? The long-bearded cartoon headmaster who uttered insults at the feast? I don't like him. He dumped me at my relatives. Now he has some painful cause of death on the school behind that red-painted door."

"Well, you must learn to use your brain. I am giving you a hint; the gamekeeper visits the place regularly with a large basket. Some students should already know. So, what could be behind that door?"

"Some sort of animal maybe?" said Harry hopefully.

"Maybe you are right. Now, you may want to know why I gave you detention or call you Potter?"

Harry smiled "You are using my surname because if you mistakenly call me by my name, it would raise doubts. You gave me detention because of the potion accident?"

"I will look after the boy in future. It was an excuse to meet you." Snape's expression became serious "I took care of you back then, that phase of your life is over. I want you to learn something for now."

Snape took out a heavy leather-bund tome and laid it on the table. Harry could read the title- The Mind arts compendium. The potions master pushed the book towards him.

"I would point out a few chapters for you to read. The subject is basically about the sword- mind reading and shield- blocking out mind reading attempts. Today, we will begin some of the practical; you have to remove the amulet then. I am giving you some time to prepare yourself, but in future there will be no such luxury. You will soon find out what people hate most about me- I am a very practical person. Any other question before we begin?"

"How did you find out where I lived? Mr Lupin also tried to, but he could not."

"Short answer- I am a Slytherin. Maybe I will give details in future. Past is past, Potter. Now get ready."

_A/N- Harry will not turn evil but before moving to gang Voldy, he will kill only once in a violent fit of rage_.

_Thanks for reading._


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